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NOV 10 1982 
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Marsh, F. &: 1858-1919. 


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EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


PRINTED IN ENGLAND 


By E. Goopman & Son, PHa@nix PRINTING Works, Taunton. 


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CONTENTS. 


CHAP, PAGE 
I. THE Dove .. ; t : : . ; : : 2 

LE PHE SEAL. < < : - : : ; : ey eA 
Il. THE Hoty ANOINTING OIL 3 : : : 338 
IV. THE ANOINTING . p j : j : i a OO 
V. THe O1n : ; " e : : : ; ee 
Vi. THE Fink, *, s } ‘ ; : : : sn 
VII. THe Rain , q ; ; : : ; , ere kSs 
VIII. THE ATMOSPHERE " : ‘ : y ; re ry 
IX. THE WIND . ‘ : 3 ‘ : : ; v hr E6O 
X. RIVERS ; : : ; : ; ; ; Bains Hrd: 
XI: THE Dew . : : ; ‘ ; : : we LOT 
XII. THE Water : ; : : ; : . 208 
XIII. CLoTrHinc . ; ; é ; A $ : 3220 


XIV. THE Earnest , ; i hs ‘ : : Sea Ag 


"PREFACE. 


i ; I. October, 1884, ae thirty years ago, I wrote a ee 


book called Emblems of the Holy Spirit. I only noticed 
the Emblems of Oil, the Seal, Water, Dew, Wind, the Earnest, 


and the Dove. That book has long been out of print. This _ 


book is not in any way a reproduction of part of that one, 
but an entirely new and recent study. 

It may be of interest to the readers of this volume to 
repeat an incident of interest to the writer. Many years ago 
I met, for the first time, during a Mildmay Conference* the 


~ author of The Ministry of the Spirit, the saintly A. J. Gordon, 
of Boston. After I had been introduced to him, he turned 
to me and said, “‘ Are you F. E. Marsh, who wrote a little 
book called Emblems of the Holy Spirit?’ JI replied, “ Yes.’ 


“Then,” he said, ‘‘ let. me shake your hand again, and thank 


you for the blessing that small volume was to me.” The 
savour of that encouraging remark makes me send forth this 
larger study with the earnest prayer that the Spirit Who 
ministered to me the Braet, may through them minister to 
others. 

Let us pray with aes A, J. Gordon— 


‘‘O blessed Paraclete, 
Assert Thine inward sway ; 
My body make Thy temple meet, 
For Thy perpetual stay. 


“Too long this house of Thine, 
By alien loves possessed, 
Has shut from Thee its inner shrine, 
Kept Thee a slighted guest. 


‘Now rend, O Spirit blest, 
The veil of my poor heart ; 
Enter Thy long forbidden rest, 

And nevermore depart.” 


‘Oh, to be filled with Thee! 
I ask not aught beside ; 
For all unholy guests must flee, 
If Thou in me abide.” 


) F. E. MARSH. 
Bristol, 191. 


- * June, 1888. 


INTRODUCTION. _ 


EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


é fe ¥ ‘HE Bible is a Book of Metaphors, Similes, Symbols, 
‘ 2% Types, Parables, Allegories, and Emblems. “I have 
_ used similitudes by the hand of the prophets ” (Hosea xii. ro), 
declares the Lord, but we must never forget, behind every 
2 figure of speech there is a reality of truth. The word 
““similitudes ” inthe above Scriptures is rendered “ jike” 
and “compared.”” The Psalmist says, “I am tke a pelican 
in the wilderness” (Psalm cii. 6), in comparing himself to 
that bird in its isolation and solitariness ; and the Beloved in 
_ the Song of Solomon says to the Bride, “I have compared 
_ thee, O My love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots ” 
~ (Canticles i. 9), in denoting her costliness and preciousness, for 
horses were brought from India to Egypt at great cost, and 
only the rich could afford to have them. 

a _ Technically there is a slight difference between a metaphor 
simile, symbol, type, parable, allegory, and emblem. A 
: metaphor is a figure of speech, in which one object is made 
_ to stand for another. When we say Christ is led as a lamb 
_ to the slaughter, it is a simile: but when He is called “The 
Lamb of God,” it is a metaphor. A simile is figurative 
~ language descriptive of one object in its likeness to another : 
_“ As cold water to a thirsty soul, so-is good news from a far 
country” (Proverbs xxv. 25), 1s a simile. A symbol is some- 
thing which stands for something else, thus in Christendom 
_ the cross is a symbol of Christ’s suffering, the hand a symbol 
of God’s power, and the Dove the symbol of the Holy Spirit. — 
_ A type is an object which is used to prefigure another object, 
_ thus the lifting up of the brazen servent in the wilderness 
Silene a 


x. - INTRODUCTION. 


was a type of Christ’s death on the Cross (John iii. 14). A 
parable is a truth illustrated by fact, as the little girl said, 
“Tt is an earthly story with an heavenly meaning,” like the 
seven parables of Matthew xiii. An allegory is a story which 


i 


represents a fact, or illustrates a thing in parabolical language, — 


as Jotham’s story of the trees did the action of Abimelech 
(Judges ix. I-21); and an emblem is a figurative representa- 
tion of anything, such as the sceptre is an emblem of 
sovereign power. 


There are many figurative representations which are used 
to set forth the work and the ways of the Spirit, and with each 
emblem there is some one phase of His grace and love. 


The Dove speaks of the beauty and gentleness of the 
Spirit’s character (Matthew iii. 16 ; x. 16). : 


The Seal indicates the security of the Spirit’s grace and 
the proprietorship of His love (Song of Songs iv. 12; John 
vi: 27; ut. Corinthians i. 22; Ephesians i. 13; Iv. 30; 
i. Timothy ii. 19 ; Revelation vii. 3-8). 


The Holy Anointing Oil is emblematic of the Holy Spirit’s 


character and claims as the Holy One (Exodus xxx. 25-38 ; 
Leviticus xxi. 10). 


The Act of Anointing is suggestive of the Spirit’s con- 
secrating grace and guidance in qualifying and ministering in 
Divine things (Leviticus xxi. 10 ; 11. Corinthians Core bel: 
oO). a, 


The Oil is typical of the Spirit’s grace and the illumination 
of His teaching (Luke iv. 18; Acts x. 38; 1. Corinthians 
I; 22-4; Oh 1. 27), 


The Fire is an emblem of the purification and penetration 
of the Spirit’s operations (Exodus iil. 2; xix. 18; Malachi 
iii. 2; Matthew iii. 11; Acts ii. 3; Hebrews xu. 29 ; Rev. 
iv. 5). 

The Rain designates the abundance and grace of the 
Spirit’s supply (Deuteronomy xxxii. 2; Psalm lexan 6s 
Ixxxiv. 6; Hosea vi. 3; Jeremiah v. 24; Zechariah x. I). 


ie INTRODUCTION. a 


ae The Atmosphere portrays the element and use of ‘the 


 Spirit’s exclusiveness (Galatians v. 16, 25; ae 


v. 18, R.V.M. ; Philippians ili. 3 ; fe oetaons 1. 10). 


The Wind proclaims the winnowing and searchingness of the 
Spirit’s power (Isaiah xl. 7; Ezekiel xxxvil. 9; John iii. 8; 


fActs il. 2). 


- Rivers proclaim the abundance of the Spirit’s supply 


and the plenitude of His grace (Psalm i. 3; xlvi. 4; John 


©. vii. 38). 


The Dew shadows forth the refreshing and fertilization of 
the Spirit’s presence (Genesis xxvii. 28; Deuteronomy 
RX * XXXIN. ¥3,° 28> Psalm cxxxut. 3 : Job xxix: 19: 
Isaiah xvii. 4; Hosea xiv..5). 


_ The Water symbolizes the effectiveness and sufficiency of 


~ the Spirit’s ministry (Psalm lxv. 9; Isaiah xliv. 3; John 


- iii. Gv T4.5 Vil, 37; 38). 


‘The Clothing depicts the equipment thd strength of the 
Spirit’ s endowment (Judges vi. 34, R.v.; Luke xxiv. 49, R.V.) 


The Earnest delineates the promise and sample of the 
| Spirit’ s promise of glory (1. Corinthians i. 22; v. 5; Eph. 
; oe 14). 


Syllabus of — 
The Dove as an Emblem of the Holy Spimit. 


Two Books—I. Productiveness of the ipo panics © 
by Gesenius, Milton, and Owen—‘ Moved”’ (Genesis 1. 2)— 

- Involution, Revolution, Evolution—Use of Greek preposition 
“ ER” —Life—Five senses evidence of life—Love—‘ Two 
souls in sweet account ”__Knowledge—Carlyle’s word— 
Reaping—The Spirit’s working in The Acts—Liddon’s 
comment—Abundance—Totality of The Spirit in Christ— 
The Kaiser’s method—Wireless telegraphy—lIl. Performance 
of the Spirit—Shelley’s couplet—Five questions ve Noah's 
Dove: when? whence? whither ? what ? why ?>—When ? 
After Judgment—Christ beneath Jordan, after opened 
heaven, &c.—Whence? From the ark—Spirit from God— 
Dr. A. J. Gordon’s statement—Whither ? To the earth—The 
- Son of Man and the Spirit for men—Inadequacy of Arnold’s 
morality and Sfectator’s comment—Whai? Three sendings 
of the Dove—Josephus and mud on Dove’s feet—View from — 
Stirling Castle—Dove and leafi—Meaning of Hebrew word 
“ pluckt off”’—Dove not returning—“ Meno” ve Christ— 
Why ? Abated waters—Tennyson on the Dragon Fly— 


Who is great?—III. Perfection of the Spivit—Dr. Dale’s Saying 


—(1) Dove is clean in nature (Song of Solomon vi. 9)—Seven 
things the Spirit is and does—(z) Dove is gentle nm manner 
(Matthew x. 16)—‘‘ No gall ””»—" Gall” in New Testament— . 


S Meaning of ‘‘ Gentleness ’’—(3) Dove 1s constant i love (Song 


of Solomon v. 12)—Gill’s comment—Fruit of the Spirit—What 
- His love is like—The Holian harp—(4) Dove particular in food 
—Raven versus dove—Seven references to the Spirit in 
Peter’s Epistles—(5) Dove swift of wing (Psalm lv. 6)— 


_Tilustrations of the Spirit’s alertness and activity—(6) Dove 


beautiful in plumage (Psalm Ixviil. 13)—Doves seen by Miss 
: pepacely in Egypt—The faulty canvas—‘ Cassio makes me 

ugly ’—(7) Dove social in habit (Isaiah 1x. 8)—" Let us make 
man ”—“ Peter, James, and John ”’—Use of “ meta”’ re The 
be od as teaching about The Comforter—Ruskin on a 
~ “ pause.” 3 A- 


ape 2 


THE DOVE. | “ 

| HE dove speaks of the beauty of the Holy Spirit’s os 
Ae character. Like the dove, He is gentle, loving, and 
kind. We recognize this when we pray to Him, and ask Him 
ag to 


“Come as the Dove, and spread Thy wings, 
The wings of peaceful love ; 
And let Thy Church on earth become 
: Bless’d as the Church above.’’ 
The facts of nature and the truth of God’s Word are the two 
best commentaries upon truth. We shall keep these two 
things before us in the study of the Holy Spirit as the dove. | 


I. THE PRODUCTIVENESS OF THE SPIRIT. 


The first reference to the Holy Spirit in the Bible, 
represents Him as “ moving ’’ upon the chaotic waters 
(Genesis i. 2). The earth had become ‘‘ waste and void,” by 
what means we do not know, unless by some act of judgment 
because of sin committed by Satan and his angels ; but we 
Bee do know that ‘He created it not a waste” (Isaiah xlv. 183.2 
Se R.V.), and whenever it is spoken of as being in such a condition 
: é it is the outcome of an act of God’s judgment upon sin 
= (“ Confusion”? and “ emptiness” in Isaiah xxxiv. Ir are the 
same words as rendered “‘ without form”? and “void” in 
Genesis i. 2). 
_ The word “‘ moved” as found in connection with the Holy 
Spirit suggests a bird sitting on a nest of eggs to warm them 
into life. The Vulgate renders it by “incubabat.” — Gesenius 
says of this word, “ Figuratively used of the Spirit of God, 
Who brooded over the shapeless mass of the earth cherishing 
and vivifying.’’ Milton expresses the same thought when he 
says :— 
“And chiefly Thou, O Spirit, that dost prefer 
Before all temples the upright heart and pure, 
Instruct me, for Thou knowest, Thou from the first 
Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread 
Dove-like sat’st brooding on the vast abyss, 
And madest it pregnant.” 
Owen expounds the passage—" The Spirit of God came and 
fell upon the waters, cherishing the whole, and communicating 
a prolific and vivific quality unto it, as a dove gently moves 


jE 


Bae DOE ; 3 


oe itself upon its eggs until it hath communicated vital heat 
unto them.” | 2 
The same word as rendered ‘‘ moved’? is given “‘ fluttereth ’ 
in Deuteronomy xxxii. 11, in speaking of the eagle dutioeug : 
- over her young, as an illustration of God’s tender dealing with 
Israel. The two passages taken together give us the thoughts © 
of the Spirit’s action in bringing into life and caring for the 
life which He has produced. This is specially true in regard 
to the new life produced in the experience of the believer in 
Christ, and His sustainment and nurture of that life. 
He who knows not the Spirit’s operation will not experience 
__ the saving of grace, nor the grace of glory. A sense of sin is 
the starting point in the work of grace. The very first thing 
the Holy Spirit produces in the soul is a consciousness of the 
evil of sin. Where this is lacking His grace is wanting. 
_. Samuel Rutherford, in writing to one, says: ‘‘ Many are 
___ beguiled with this, that they are free of scandalous and crying 
abominations; but the tree that bringeth not forth good 
fruit is for the fire. The man that is not born again cannot 
enter the kingdom of heaven. Common honesty will not 
take men to heaven. Alas, that men should think that ever 
- they met with Christ, who never had a sick night, through 
- the terrors of God on their souls, or a sore heart for sin.” A 
sense of darkness and emptiness is the precursor of light 
and satisfaction, for the “‘ Spirit moved ”’ are the words which 
ever go before ‘‘ Let there be light.” 
The Greek preposition ‘“‘ Ek,” which means “ ou of,” and _ 
is so rendered in John xvii. 6, occurs nine times in the New 
- Testament in connection with the Holy Spirit. Twice it 
~ occurs when speaking of the Spirit as the Father of Christ's 
humanity. Mary is said to be ‘“ with child of (ER., out of) 
- the Holy Ghost,” and Joseph is told the same by the angel, 
a when he says, ‘‘ that which is conceived in her is of (Ek., out 
of) the Holy Ghost” (Matthew i. 18-20) ; ‘and twice Christ 
uses it when He speaks of the necessity of the new birth and 
its nature, and describes it as being ‘‘ born of (Ek., out of) 
the Spirit ” (John iii. 6-8). 
The other passages where the preposition occurs are of 
we interesting moment, and demonstrate in a most interesting 


{ 


eo EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy SPIRIT. 


way that the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible 
itself. The following words may be applied to each verse,—_ : 
Life, Love, Knowledge, Reaping, and Abundance. oe 


Life. The two witnesses described in the Book of the — 
Revelation are slain because of their testimony. Their dead 
bodies are left exposed in “‘ the street of the great city....— 
where our Lord was crucified”; but they are subjects of 
miraculous vivification, for we read ‘‘ the Spirit of Life from 
(Ek, out of) God entered into them and they stood upon their 
feet’ (Revelation xi. 11). The similarity of language connects 
this incident with the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel xxxvii. I-14). 
In each case the Spirit of God is the Quickener, Who gives life. 
As the Spirit of Life caused these dead bodies to live, so He is 
the One Who has quickened the believer from the death of 
sin; and as the five senses are practical demonstrations of 
natural life, so the hearing of Christ’s voice in obedience (John 
x. 27), the seeing of His saving sufficiency and succour (Heb. 
ii. 9, 10), the ¢asting of the Spirit’s grace and constraining love 
(Romans v. 5), the touching of the hem of Christ’s priestly 
service of power (Mark v. 30; Hebrews vil. 15), and the 
sweet smelling savour of a wholly consecrated life (Romans 
xii. I, R.v.), show we have spiritual life. 


Love. ‘‘ If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and 
His love is perfected in us. Hereby we know that we dwell 
in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of (E., out of) 
His Spirit’ (1. John iv. 12, 13). The evidence of our love to 
God is seen in our loving one another, and this love secures — 
the abiding presence of God, and His abiding presence is the 
token that we find our abiding in Him, and this mutual — 


abiding is the result of the Spirit’s ministry, for it is ‘‘ out of ? 


Him. 
One says of love,— 


“Two souls in sweet accord, 
Each for each other caring and each self unheard, 
Bringing life’s discords into perfect time ; 
True to true feeling, and to nature living, 
Plighting no faith, nor needing proof nor proving, 
Taking for granted, never asking, giving, 
Not doubting, and not fearing ‘how’ or ‘ where’ ? 
Not caring if less bright or young or fair ; 
Sure to be ever loved, and sure of loving.’’ 


THE Dove. - <5 


& Thus, true love, or love in truth, ever goes out of itself in 
ministry to the object of its affection. Man’s love is the 
fixing of the heart’s desire on some object for its own ends ;— 


but the love which is of God fixes its affection upon some = 


object, loves for love’s sake, and finds its own satisfaction in — 
the satisfaction of another. 


Knowledge. ‘““He that keepeth His commandments 


- dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that 
He abideth in us, by (Ek., out of) the Spirit He gave us”’ 


(1. John iii, 24). These words are like a two-armed sign-post, 
they point onwards to the path of obedience, which leads to 
the joyful place of the Lord’s abiding presence; and they 
point back to the Source of power which enables us to obey 
for it is ‘‘ out of’ the Spirit every good thing is accomplished. 
And as the surveyor of the road knows the places to which 
the guide-post points, so the believer recognizes the power 
which enables him to obey, and the consequent safety. 


Carlyle says: ‘‘ Love is ever the beginning of knowledge, 


as fire is of light.” These words are essentially true in 


relation to the child of God, for the love of the Spirit is the 
‘Spring which moves us in the path of obedience, as the main- 


; _ spring in the watch causes it to go ; and as the hands on the 


dial indicate the motive power within, so our obedience gives 
us the knowledge that we are abiding in Christ to our joy, and 


. ; that He is abiding in us to our power. 


Reaping. ‘‘ He that soweth to the Spirit shall of (Ee. 


out of) the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Galatians vi. 8). 
_ The context clearly indicates that all effective work in the 
_ Lord’s service, while the end is the believer’s reward, owes its 


origin and completion to the Holy Spirit. Ruskin says: 


- “The detail of a single weedy bank laughs to scorn the 
a carving of ages.” God’s work in nature proclaims the © 
wonder of His skill, while the best of man’s productions 
pe “manifests his inability to produce like God. The same is true 
by / in the realm of Grace: when the Spirit works He is always 
effective. If we read through the Acts of the Apostles, with 


this thought in our minds, we shall see the Spirit’s effectiveness 
_ ata glance. The disciples bear witness to Christ, for “' the 


: Se gave them utterance” (Acts ii. 4). Philip. te wher 
- the anxious eunuch was, for the “ Be said unto Philip, 


the work of the evangelist was done, and the Lord wished 


6 . EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spimir., 


near, and join thyself to this chariot”’ (Acts viii. 29). Wh 


His servant elsewhere, “the Spirit of the Lord caught away 
Philip” (Acts viii. 39). What gave Peter the assurance that t 
it was the will of the Lord he should preach the Gospel — 
to the Gentiles was, as he says, ‘‘ the Spirit bade me go with — 
them nothing doubting’ (Acts xi. 12). The Holy Spirit was 
the power which made Agabus proclaim with prophetic voice 
there would be a great dearth, for it was “ signified by the 
Spinit’’ (Acts xi. 28) that this should be so. Stephen, being 
‘“tull of the Holy Ghost” (Acts vii. 55), was able to see the 
opened heaven and the glorified Christ standing at the right 
hand of God waiting to receive him. Paul and Barnabas, 
being “sent forth by the Holy Ghost” (Acts xiii. 4), were 
Divinely commissioned and equipped for their service; and __ 
Paul, being “ filled with the Holy Ghost,’ was able to on that a 
Elymas the sorcerer was “ full of all subtlety and all mischief” ee 
(Acts xiil. 9, Io). se 
Spirit-begotten work, by means of Spirit-qualified worn ie 
in whom the Spirit has operated, must produce a harves 
which is lasting. Liddon has well said: “‘ Belief i in the Holy 


tendency to sink ae the dominion of materialistic habits ie 
of thought, that is to say, to surrender ourselves to ; 

fascination and empire of the bodily senses,” And it is only 
as we have the habitual sense of the “ reality of the spiritu 


by “ belief in the Holy Spirit,” that we ep any beneat 
are any blessing. f 


Abundance. “God giveth not the Spirit by ER. oe - 
measure ’’ (John iii. 34). There are two thoughts wrap) cd 
up in these words: (1) Christ received the Spirit in | 
totality at His baptism. He isseenina bodily shape descend 
and abiding upon Him. The fulness of the Godhead dwe 
in Him bodily (Colossians ii. 9). The F ather hath “ ‘ give 
things into” the hand of Christ. (2) The giving of the : 
to wee in His Divine personality and totality, i is not 


ee? 


Tae Dove. oP : es 2 


oe Christ, but ee ae those who are Christ’ S, for as Godet 


2 says : “God does not give to Him for Himself only, but for 


all’ ; hence, Christ is not only the One Who is baptized with ‘ 


: 


othe: ae but the Baptizer too. Our supply is found in 4 
- Christ, for in Him we are made full because the fulness of the 
_ Godhead dwells in Him (Colossians ii. 9, I0, R.V.) Drs 
Maclaren says: ‘‘ All the fulness of God is in Him, that from | 
- Him it may pass into us. .. . The treasure was lodged in the 


earthen vessel of Christ’s Teebrod that it might be within 


: - our reach. He brings the fiery blessing as a Divine life from 


heaven to earth enclosed in the feeble reed of His manhood, 


that it may kindle kindred fires in many a heart. Freely the 


_ Water of Life flows into all cisterns from the ever fresh 


stream into which the Infinite depth of that unfathomable 


__ sea of good pours itself.” 


When the Emperor of Germany wants to study a new 


- subject, instead of going to the best book upon it, he sends — 
_ for the best man. For instance, when he heard of the 
__ wonderful discovery made by Professor Réntgen, he wired 


for him to come to Berlin at once, and, after an interview 


: - which extended over several hours, the Emperor had so 
examined and cross-examined the great physiologist that at 
the end of the time he knew almost as much about the X-Rays 


as the inventor himself. Similarly, whenever the Emperor 


E comes to England he gets in. touch with experts—especially 
ee es and naval experts—and in a short time he astounds 


even the quickest of them by the rapidity with which he has 


ie ~ caught up their ideas, and the tenacity with which his memory 


holds to the smallest details. In other words, the Emperor 


is ~ seeks his information from living men and not in dead print. 


- Well for us if we seek our blessing in the Living Man at God's 


. CC aeht hand, then we shall know the Spirit’s personality, 


power, and presence, to our advancement in the Divine life, 
and to the effectiveness of spiritual service. 

As in wireless telegraphy the essential thing is for the 
transmitter to be in adjustment with the receiver, so it is 
Sally essential for the receiver of our faith to be perfectly 


: & adjusted with the transmitter of God’s power, for it is only 
as we een in touch with the Spirit by prayerful consecration, 


acc : EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


that He can accomplish His purpose | in vane fulfil His will 
through us. sae 
II. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE SPIRIT. ye 
The Bible is like a majestic mountain, in which, while 
there is a progressiveness in its elevation, there ‘is also ae 
oneness in its substance. | 
“the mountains kiss high heaven, 
And the waves clasp one another.’’ ss 
These words of Shelley may be applied to the unity of = 
the Scriptures, for they kiss heaven in their affectionate 
testimony, and the Old and New Testaments clasp each other _ 
in their revelation. This may be seen in many ways, but it 
is sufficient for our purpose to ponder over the correspondence 
between the sending forth of the dove out of the ark by Noah, 
and the coming forth of the Holy Spirit like a dove and ~ 
resting upon Christ, as illustrating the mission of the Holy 
Spirit in this present dispensation. For the sake of brevity — 
and clearness we shall note five questions—When ? Whence ? | 
Whither ? What ? Why ? 


When ?. The sending forth of the dove was after the a 
terrible judgment which had fallen upon the world, because 
of man’s sin.. The first time the dove went out of the ark, — 
there was no resting place to be found for the sole of her foot, 
nor was there the second time, but the third time there was, — 
for she came back no more. Not till the waters of wrath © 
were abated did the dove find a resting place. Now note the 
correspondence. It was after the Lord Jesus had gone down — 
into the waters of Jordan, after he had been baptized as a - 
sinner by the representative of the law, that the heaven was __ 
opened and the Holy Spirit, in the bodily shape of a dove, — 
was seen descending upon Him, and not only alighting upon ~ 4 
Him, but, as it is Srphaied: “ remaining’? upon Him. 
= The Spirit abode upon Him.’ As Godet remarks, ‘This — s 
luminous appearance, then, represents an inspiration which — 2 
is neither partial as that of the faithful, nor intermittent as 
that of the prophets,’”’ In the old times the Spirit came and 
went as the dove went to and fro from the ark, but now, since 
Pentecost, He abides in the Denes as He abode on Christ. : 


- THe Dove. , 3 9 


- Hence, we do not need to ask Him to come, but to recognize 
His presence, for we are by virtue of the redemptive work of 


the Lord Jesus, the temples of the Holy Ghost. Of this we _ 
must never lose sight, that it is because Christ has given _ 
_ Himself up to death for our sin that He is able to give us the 


a of the Spirit. If there had been no Calvary of substitution 
- there would have been no Pentecost of blessing. The Lamb 
— of God must die for us before the Spirit can live in us. He 
- must go through the Jordan of God’s judgment against sin, 
_ before He can bring us into the Canaan of the fulness of the 
_ blessing of the Spirit’s endowment. 

_ We may gather from this that the first thing in the mission 
of the Spirit, is to make known the fact that Christ has 
-accomplished His work of suffering for sin. ‘Christ hath 
. suffered for us” is the Spirit’s testimony. Not 7s suffering, 
but hath. The tenses of the Bible have a tension of meaning. 
_ The night of suffering is past, the morn of the Gospel has 
- come. The darkness is gone, and the crimson light of the 
- salvation of God shines. The work is done, for the Redeemer 
_ rests at the right hand of God, and now, all who rest in Christ 
rest in His rest, and partake of the benefits of His cross. 


| Whence ? Noah’s dove came forth from the ark. God’s 

- Dove came from heaven. There are two thoughts suggested 
_ by this. As the dove came forth from the ark, the ark being 
a type of Christ, so the Holy Spirit, because of what Christ is, 

_ and has done, comes forth to the earth of man’s iniquity, to 
~ tell him of the only ark of salvation, where he can find safety 
--and peace. The lighting of the Holy Spirit on Christ as the 
Dove proclaims two things, first, He could come as the Dove 
on the Lamb of God, for there was a correspondence between 
the spotlessness of God’s Lamb and the gentleness of God's 
- Dove. Second, He came upon Christ as the Dove to qualify 
Him for His ministry, and to act through Him i in blessing to 
~ others. 


_ There is something significant in that the Spirit comes 

from the opened heaven. May it not be He comes from 
heaven to lead to heaven and heavenly things? When 
_ Christ commissioned His disciples to go and preach the 


10 EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Srinrr, Seat: At 8. 


oa He told them Hey! had first to tarry till they vores & A 


‘‘endued with power from on high” (Luke xxiv. 49). This 
expression, ‘‘ power from on high,” at once suggests that the 


power is spiritual in its source, character and ead. Itisnot | 


of the earth, earthy, but of the heavens, heavenly. Not of 
man in his puny inability, but of God in His almighty ability. 
The late Dr. Gordon, of Boston, once said: “‘ Christianity is 
beset with three powerful currents which insidiously operate 
- to deflect her from her course. Materialism, which denies or 
ignores the supernatural and concentrates its heed on 
ameliorating the outward conditions of human life ; criticism, 
which is clever at analysis and dissection but Se construct - 
a foundation on which the religious faculty may build and 
rest ; and a fine literary taste, which has greatly developed of : 


late aa is disposed to aUORe of power by force of words or by | a 


delicacy of expression.” There is but one reply to these 
attempts to undermine the rock bed of our faith in Christ, - 
and that is, the Christ in the lovingness of His all-satisfying 
love and His almighty grace, dwelling in the heart and life 
by the active operation of the Holy Spirit, for heaven’s facts — 
are only made known to the faith which is born of Him. 
Whither ? The dove which came from the ark came to 
the earth to find a resting place. The Spirit came upon Christ 
as the Son of Man, for He Himself, in speaking of Himself as 
the Son of Man says, ‘“‘Him hath God the Father sealed ” 
(John vi. 27). Itis not without significance that the manhood 
of Christ is specially mentioned when reference is made to ~ 
the Spirit’s coming upon Him. Earth has no sorrow that 


Heaven cannot cure, because Heaven has eome down in the > 


Person of Christ and the Holy Spirit to cure the sorrows of 
earth. The fact that the Son of God and the Holy Spirit 
have come into the world, proves beyond all demonstration — 
that the Lord alone can meet the deep necessity of man. 
Man cannot meet the need of his fellow. Mere morality 
cannot satisfy the human heart. Ritualism with its gaudy | 
trappings does not remove the ache from the heart, nor the 
sting from the conscience. 

A striking letter appeared some time ago in the Spectator, 
as to the inadequacy of the moral teaching of such a 


Pe} 


it THE Dove. ie eee 
writer as ; Matthew Arnold to touch and transform the lives 
of the poor. It says :— ~ 

“God forbid that I should decry culture, education—the | 
best stimuli to the imaginative faculties possible; but the 


fact remains that when all these incentives to the highest 
human enjoyment and elevation have had their say, there 
still. remains ‘ the poor man,’ whom Matthew Arnold did not 
_ know, and if he had known would not have understood. 


What is to become of him? A million Matthew Arnolds, 
with such work as Literature and Dogma, Rugby Chapel, and 
Self-Dependence, could not answer if they cared to. But 
Jes Christ can answer, does tell, does care; and even if 

“miracles do not happen,’ still every day dices see the way- 
_ faring man, though a fool, brought into the highway of 
holiness by the foolish preaching of the Word of God. My 
complaint against Matthew Arnold and his disciples is that 
_ they, never having known bodily privation, the want of 
common necessaries, the absence of all the alleviations of life, 
even in devastating sickness, cannot, do not, enter into the 


ae . ik absorbing joy of belief in a God manifest in the flesh to 


_ preach good tidings to the poor. It may even be that your | 
_ reviewer, in his zeal for Matthew Arnold’s reputation, has not 


_. known what it is to have a wife lying ill, children hungry, and 


a broker’s man in the house. I have, and I have known the 


 blessedness of a ‘ Friend that sticketh closer than a brother’ 
at a time like that to save me from despair or self-murder, 
and to bring me out into a large place. Is it then any wonder 
_ that I, reading Se/f-Dependence, or the preface to Literature 
and Dogma, turn almost fiercely upon the smug complacency 
of Matthew Arnold and his ‘ culture,’ and ask him what does 
he know of the need of ‘ the poor’ to whom Immanuel came ? 
- He is a sweet poet, can weld into harmonious cadences the 


eee 


great words of our language, but when it comes to preaching 
the Gospel to the poor he is less than the least of believers ; 
the Divine knowledge of man’s deepest difficulties does not 


appear to have touched his comfortable heart. To conclude : 


the words upon which I based my remarks may be found in 
aoe Dependence, last phrase : — 


‘Resolve to be thyself, and know that he 
Who finds himself, loses his misery,’ 


ae EMBLEMS OF THE HOoLy SprIrit. 


which I would paraphrase — 


“Resolve to know thy Lord, and know that he 
Who finds the Christ, loses his misery.’ ”’ 


This is well and truly said. The old question, “ Canst 
thou not minister to the mind diseased ?”’ has never been 
answered by culture and art, and never will be answered 
outside the Gospel of the grace of God. 

The Spirit of God comes to reveal the Christ of God, Who 
' makes known the love of God, Who secures by His blood the 
forgiveness of love, the peace of Heaven and the joy 
unspeakable. God’s Dove imparts His nature to the believer 


in Christ, infuses the life which enobles and the love which 


inspires. None but Jesus can do helpless sinners good, and 
none but the Spirit can enable the sinner to trust the Christ 
Who can meet his need. It is His work to do this, and He 
delights to do it. | 


What? What were the results from the sending forthofthe a 
dove from the ark, and the coming of the Spirit upon Christ? 


There were three sendings forth of the dove from the ark. 
The first time it found no rest for the sole of its foot, and 
returned to the ark. Josephus says “‘ that the dove came 
back to Noah with her wings and feet all wet and muddy.” 
May we not take this as illustrative of the fact that in all the 
missions of the Spirit, from the Fall to the coming of Christ, 
He always had to bear testimony to man’s sin and iniquity. 
As one stands on the summit of Stirling Castle, the Forth can 
be seen winding its way on to Edinburgh, so as we stand on 


the vantage point of God’s Word, the black river of man’s 


sin down the ages can be traced, winding on in its hellish 
course, bringing death and devastation wherever it goes. 
How often the Spirit of God in the testimony of His Word 
laments over the sin and wilfulness of man, till in the 
purpose of grace, Christ identifies Himself in substitutionary 
love, and speaks of man’s sin as “ My sin.”’ 

The second time the dove came back to the ark it came 
with an olive leaf in its mouth, which is significantly said to 
be ‘‘ pluckt off.’ The word means, to be freshly torn from 
the tree. The Hebrew word Taraph comes from a root which 
means to tear in pieces, and is generally used to describe the 


THE DOVE. 3 13 


action of wild beasts in rending their prey to pieces. It 
is rendered ‘‘rent in pieces’? in Genesis xxxvii. 33, where 
Jacob takes it for granted that Joseph has been killed by a 


wild beast when he sees the blood-stained garments of Joseph. | 


The same root word is given ‘‘ ravening”’ in Psalms xxii. 13, 


_ where Christ speaks of the wicked who were surrounding Him 
like a lot of wild beasts. Rotherham translates the verse: 
“They have opened wide their mouth, a lion vending and 
roaring.” Putting these Scriptures together, do they not 


suggest to us the thought, that as the olive leaf was torn off, 


. and the dove bore in its mouth this emblem of peace, so the 


Holy Spirit bears testimony to the death of Christ, Who was 


‘cut off” out of the land of the living for our transgressions, 


_ and now proclaims that Christ has made peace by the blood 


of His cross. 
- The third time the dove went from the ark it did not 


_ return. It had found a resting place. So with the Holy 
Spirit. He had gone to and fro from the presence of the 


Lord, in Old Testament times, finding no resting place, but 
when He beheld the One in Whom God delighted, then He 
rested upon Him. The first three gospels mention that the 
Spirit descended or lighted upon Christ ; but John adds, the 
Spirit “abode”? upon Him. The Greek word meno means to 


— dwell, and is so rendered again and again. God rested after 


His creative work ; Christ in figure having accomplished His 
redemptive work, rests in the satisfaction of God (Heb. iv. Io) ; 
and now the Spirit rests upon Christ, henceforth to find His 


a permanent abode in Him. All His mission emanates from 


Christ, all His blessings are found in Him, all His instructions 
are from Him, all His ministry is toward Him, all His 
unfoldings are about Him, all His aim is to enhance His glory, 


and all His working in the believer is to reproduce Him. 


‘ Why? The reason why the dove was sent forth from the 


_ ark was “‘ to see if the waters were abated ”’ (Genesis viii. 8) ; 
_ and the reason why the Holy Ghost came upon Christ was to 
qualify Him for the great work of redemption which He was 
sent to do, so from that time we find Him as the faithful 
Servant in humble dependence upon the Spirit’s grace and 
_ power. Why is the Holy Spirit given to believers ? For the 


ig ee EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. | 


same reason that the dove came to Noah, and the Spirit came 


upon Christ. First, to assure us that for us the judgment of ae 


sin is past, for the storm has burst upon Christ and has 
exhausted itself upon Him. Second, to take up His abode 
in the mystical body of Christ through our union with the 
Head, and to impart His nature and infuse His grace in 
every part. Tennyson, in speaking of the change which comes 
to the dragon-fly when it emerges from its grub state, says : 
‘To-day I saw the dragon-fly 

Come from the wells where he did lie. 

An inner impulse rent the veil 

Of his old husk; from head to tail 

Came out clear plates of sapphire mail. 

He dried his wings: like gauze they grew ; 

Through crofts and pastures, wet with dew, 

A living flash of light, he flew.” 


“Mark how Tennyson makes “‘ the inner impulse ’’ to rend the ~ ASS 


old husk. It was the life within which brought it into the 
liberty and sunshine without. The same is true in the Divine 
life. We can only rise to the dove-like character as we have — 
the fulness of the Dove-like Indweller. | | 
It has been said: “ He only is great of heart who floods 
the world with a great affection. He only is great of mind | 


who stirs-the world with great thoughts. He only is great of 4 


will who does something to shape the world to a great career. 
And he is greatest who does the most of all these things and 
does them best.” But who can make these ideals actual ? 
We need the Doer to do. We require the Actor to act. Who 
is He? The Spirit, and the Spirit alone. 

III. THE PERFECTION OF THE SPIRIT. 

Dr. Dale, in referring to the difference of the revelation of 
the Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments, says: ‘When — 
we pass from the Old Testament to the New we are in the © 
presence of a great revelation of the Spirit of God as well as 
of the Son of God.’”’ That revelation of the Spirit is twofold. 


We are told what He is and what He does. In what He is — rh 
we discover His perfection; and in what He does we 


experience His power. We may see His perfection in the 
names and titles which are given to Him, and also in the 
emblems and similes which are used to illustrate His worth 


THE SEALS 15 


ve es nana work, ‘We shall ponder some of the things which | are 
ss x said of the dove by way of illustration. ; 
«The dove is clean in nature. The Bridegroom in Rey 
____to the Bride calls her, “‘ My dove, my undefiled ”’ (Canticles 
vi. 9). The dove was a clean bird, and as such was allowed 
to be brought in sacrifice. In using this simile the Bridegroom | 
‘declared the purity of His Bride. We may use the appellation — 
in describing the perfection of the Spirit. He is the Spirit of 


_ Truth to sanctify (John xiv. 17), but He is not only the Spirit 


_ of Truth to communicate truth’s nature, He is also the living 
expression of it, even as the rays of the sun prove the sun 
ae pone shines. He is the Spirit of Grace to beautify (Acts 
vi. 5, 8, R.v.), but He is not only the Spirit to make the 
Sines ae beautiful with His grace, He has inherent beauty, 
even as the fragrance of the flower tells the nature of the 
plant. He is the Spirit of Love to intensify (Colossians i. 6), 
but He is not only the Spirit of Love to kindle in our hearts 
. the affection of love, He 7s Love, even as the kindly action 
_ of the mother proves the love of her heart. He is the Spirit 
of Life to fructify (Galatians v. 22), but He is not only the 
_ Spirit of Life to quicken us into the life of spiritual things, 
_ Hes also the Life itself, even as the fruit of the tree owes its 
being to the sap. He is the Spirit of Christ to qualify (1. Peter 
1, II), but He is not only the Spirit of Christ to carry out 
- God’s will in us, He is also one with Christ in the spotlessness 
_ of His character. He is the Spirit of Holiness to testify (Rom. 
i, 4), but He is not only the Spirit of Holiness to testify, He is 
“e te also the personification of holiness, even as the fire is the cause 
of warmth. And He is the Spirit of Light to clarify (Ephesians 
c 1,17), but He is not only the Spirit of Revelation to enlighten 
_ the mind of our understanding, He is also the Light of Life, 
even as the flame of the lamp proclaims the oil which causes 
_ the wick to burn. 
To know the Spirit in the holiness of His mone. in the 
beauty of His character, in the perfection of His personality, 
-_ and in the glory of His grace, is to be in touch with a power 
- which is beyond earth, but enables us to fulfil earthly duties | 
in a heavenly manner. 
The dove 1s gentle in manner. Christ in sending forth His 


THe EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy SPIRIT. 


disciples told them to be “‘ Harmless as doves’”’ (Matthew 
x. 16), indicating the harmlessness and the gentleness of the 
dove. ‘‘One reason that is given for the gentleness of the 
dove is that the bird has no gall, the gall being considered by 
the naturalists of old as the source and fountain of contention, 
- the bitterness of the gall being supposed to infuse itself into 
the spirit.”’ Of one thing we may be sure, there is no bitter- 
ness in the Holy Spirit. The word “ gall” only occurs twice 

in the New Testament—once in connection with Christ when 


He was upon the cross, and was offered ‘“‘ vinegar mingled 


with gall.’’ What an illustration of what the world has to 
offer—“ vinegar and gall, sourness and bitterness.’ The 
other occasion when the word was used, was when Peter told 
Simon Magus that he was in the gall of bitterness and the 
bond of iniquity. A statement which is true of every one 
out of Christ, for such are indeed in the gall of sin’s misery 
and in the bondage of the world’s tyranny. As the dark 


cloud shows up the brightness of the bow, so these statements, © 


which refer to the opposite of what the Spirit is, enhance His 
glory. ‘“‘ The fruit of the Spirit is gentleness.” The word 
gentleness comes from the Latin “gems,” a clan or family. 
- In the old Roman sense a gentleman was one who was of 
_ good family, a well-born man. The words of Christ—' He 


that is from above is above all’”’—may be applied to the | 
Spirit, for He is from heaven. Because He is above all He 


can bear with all, and meet the need of all. As the Psalmist 
put it long ago, ‘“‘ Thy gentleness hath made me great.” 

The dove is constant in love. The Bride in the Song of 
Solomon says of the Bridegroom, in referring to His eyes, 
‘‘ His eyes are as the eyes of doves beside the rivers of water ” 
(Song of Solomon v.12). Gill, in commenting on these words, 
says: “Doves by the riverside keep their eyes fixed upon 
the purling streams; and in drinking, as Pliny observes, do 
not erect their necks, and lift up their heads, but keeping their 
eyes fixed upon the water, drink a large draught of it after 
the manner of beasts. Christ, being sweetly delighted with 


His own people, has fixed His eyes upon them, and never _ 


removes them. He withdraweth not His eyes from the 


righteous.” What is true of Christ is equally true of the 


Tue Dove. — 5 are 


Spirit. His love is constant, pure, and true. “As the tree 


e : produces after its kind, so the Spirit proves by His produc- 
tions, His perfection; hence we read, “ The fruit of the 
Spirit is love.’’ David, in lamenting the death of his constant 


friend Jonathan, says: ‘“ Thy love to me was wonderful, 


a passing the love of women”’ (11. Samuel i. 26). One trait in . 
the love of women is the constancy of their affection, even 


when they have some grounds for supposing that it is not > 


reciprocated. The love of the Spirit is very similar, only 
_ deeper and more real. It is said the reason why the dove is 


the emblem of chastity is because 


é 


it lives in the strictest 


- ‘monogamy, never desiring another mate.” Of this we are 


* perfectly sure, from the statements of Holy Writ, the Holy 


oe _ Spirit is constant in His affection for us. His love is like 
the air, free and pure; like the swn, warming and healing ; 
: _ like the mountains, strong and protecting ; like the sea, deep. 


and powerful; like the stream which moves the mill-wheel, 
. useful and gladdening ; like the wind, purifying and helpful ; 
and like the so7/ to the tree, nourishing and productive. 

Let us keep in touch with the Spirit, then we shall have 
the trait of his constant love reproduced in us, for it is only - 


aS we are in communion with Him that we can become like 


Him. ‘One of Frances Ridley Havergal’s poems tells of an 
_ #olian harp which a friend sent with a letter describing the 
- wonderful sweetness of its tones. Miss Havergal took the 


harp and thrummed its seven strings, but there were no 


- thrilling strains, only common music. She read the letter 
again, and found instructions which she had overlooked at 
first. Then she raised the window and put the harp under 
eS the sash. Now the wind swept over the strings and the room 
was filled with the melodious strains which no fingers of man 
- could have produced. Only when the breath of heaven blew 
- upon the harp could its marvellous music be brought out. 
- The same thing is true with us in connection with the harp 


: a of our spiritual nature. If we attempt with the fingers of 


oi ‘our own efforts to accomplish spiritual ends, we shall oe 
__ end with the wail, ‘“‘ The good I would do I cannot perform ”’ 


oe whereas if we allow, through the medium of prayerful conse- 
pe eration and whole-hearted obedience, the Spirit to have His 


me eS) 4 EMBLEMS OF THE HoLy SPIRIT. 


way with us, He will reproduce His grace, His truth, and love, 
and gentleness, and constancy. 

The dove is particular in food. The very fact that the 
dove could be offered in sacrifice is proof that it was a clean 
bird. Two of the characteristics of a clean bird were that 
it could fly and that it did not feed upon flesh. All 
grain feeding birds that did not feed upon flesh were clean. 
The difference between the raven and the dove is plainly 
-seen in the two which were sent out of the ark. The raven 
did not come back into the ark, it undoubtedly found carrion 
upon which to feed outside, therefore was content to remain 
outside ; but the dove was forced by the necessity of hunger 
to come back to Noah. The Holy Spirit is very particular in 
the food upon which He feeds. His one aim and ministry is 
associated with the Word of God. He finds His satisfaction 
in making known the message God has given Him to reveal. — 
He is the Inditer of the Word, and He is also the Explainer of it. 

There are seven references to the Holy Spirit in the 
Episties Of Peter (1. Peter 1.721 E12 7.22 7 18 Ave te 
u. Peter i. 21). Four of the references have a distinct bearing 
on the Word of God; and in them the Spirit is said to be 
- doing, or to have done, four things, namely—signifying, quali- 
fying, purifying, and moving. The Spirit signifying—“ The 


- Spirit of Christ in them did signify.” The Spirit indited the — | 


’ prophesies of the Old Testament which related to the sufferings 
and the glory of Christ ; but the amanuenses did not under- 
stand the words given to them, so they are said to be 
‘“‘ searching’’ into the meaning of the message after it had — 
been given to them. ‘“‘ Here we have inspired writers studying 
the meaning of what they themselves had written. If they 
were prophets on the manward side, they were evidently 
pupils on the Godward side. With all possible allowance for 
the human peculiarities of the writers, they must have been 
reporters of what they heard, rather than the formulators of 
that which they had been fade to understand.” The Sprit 
qualifying—‘ Preached the orbs unto you by the Holy 
Ghost sent forth from heaven’’ (1. Peter i. 12, R.v.) The 
power by which the apostles were enabled to preach was the 
Spirit. They spake as He gave them utterance, as well as © 


‘i THE Dove. | Re 4% 


giving the message they uttered. So that both matter and 
- might came from Him. These are ever the two essential 
things to recognize, namely, the message of the Gospel, and 
the might of the Spirit. A Divine message, delivered in 
__ Divine Power, for the Divine end, which is, the glory of God — 
in the salvation of men. The Spirit purifying—“ Ye have. 
purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit’ 
(1. Peter i. 22). Again we are reminded that the Spirit is the 
Effector of every good work. Cleansing had come to the 
believers to whom reference is made—on the human side 
_ through obedience, and on the Divine side through the Spirit. 
He alone can separate the defilement from the soul and make 
it pure. This we recognize when we pray :— 
© Holy Spirit, God’s indwelling ! 
_ All my being’s pulses move ; 
My unholiness dispelling, 
Teach me perfect love. 
Cleanse my human, harmful hating ; 
Purge my passions and refine ; 
All my nature re-creating 
By Thy faith and mine. 
“Gentle, loving Holy Spirit, 
Quell the tumult and the strife ; 
Sanctify by Jesus’ merit ; 
Grant me perfect life ! 
Only by Thy wise selecting 
Can my words and deeds be true ; 
Thy immaculate correcting 
Maketh me anew. 
‘““ Holy Spirit ! In Thy guiding 
All my restlessness shall cease ; 
In my heart enthroned, abiding, 
Bring Thy perfect peace ! 
Fashion me like Christ in pureness ; 
Let my service praise His name : 
Nurtured by Divine matureness 
I shall be like Him. 
‘‘ Holy Spirit, my Refiner ; 
Light and Comforter within ; 
Joy of hope and Prayer’s Designer ; 
Cleanser of my sin ; 
Soul Instructor ; Truth Revealer ; 
Teacher of the Living Word ; 
Heavenly Helper; Holy Healer ; 
~ One with Christ the Lord.” 


aoe EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


The Spirit moving—'‘ Moved by the Holy Ghost ” (II. Peter 


i. 21). These words describe the power which influenced the 
holy men of old to write the pages of Holy Writ. The word 
rendered “‘ moved’’ is a very forceful one. Rotherham gives 
it “borne along.’ The meaning is to be borne along by a 
power outside of oneself. The word is translated “ bringing ” 
-_ when reference is made to the man who was sick of the palsy 
being brought by his friends to Christ; it is given “ were 
driven’ when the apostle recounts how they were driven 


before the storm (Acts xxvii. 17); and it is rendered ~ 


‘rushing’? when attention is called to the coming of the 
Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The meaning of the word at 
once dissipates the thought that the Word of God evolved 


from the mind of man. It came from the Inspiring Spirit, 


Who wrote an inerrant word. Since the Holy Spirit is so 
closely associated with the Word, and to carry out the simile, 
feeds upon the truth, how careful we should be to feed 


upon it too, for the only way to keep in touch with Him and _ a 


to maintain communion with God is by this means. 
' Lhe dove is swift of wing. The Psalmist on one occasion 


said: “ Oh that I had wings like a dove: for then would I fly | 


away and be at rest’ (Psalm ly. 6). It is said: ‘‘ The wings 
are the strength of the dove. Upheld by them she can fly 
for many hours, so that the birds which are pursuing her 


cannot take her.’’ The Holy Spirit is equally quick in all 


His transactions, there is no overtaking, nor taking Him by 
surprise. If we read through the Acts with this thought in 
our mind we shall see at a glance His punctuality and alert- 
ness. When the Day of Pentecost was fully come He is on 
the spot to fulfil the promise of Christ ; when Philip’s mission 
is accomplished with the eunuch, at once the Spirit catches 
him away to another sphere of labour ; when the Church at 


Antioch prayed about the work of the Gospel in other spheres, 


and asked whom they were to send, the Spirit responded at 


once, “‘ Separate Me Paul and Barnabas” ; when the apostles — 


were inclined to go in a wrong direction to a field of labour, 


at once the Spirit stands in their way and forbids them to go ; " 


and when the Church at Ephesus needed overseers to care for 
the flock of God, He appointed them. We can quite under- 


ei 


\ 3 4 - 
+ 3 Fide, Te Fond 
A ned Roo aih op ater Ex7 
Pet yee Pye ol NE ¥ arom. 
Men Ret, 
3 key 4 Wik ee 
he Beton Bein ig ep Pcs ek 


Por, 


Lae Rey 


eat 


it 


ey, 


TeESDOvE, eRe} 


stand how carefully Eleazer would guard Rebekah as he was 
conducting her to Isaac, and how he would anticipate her 
slightest wish. How much more so is the Holy Spirit. He is 
fas the Comforter, the Heavenly Paraclete: the One Who is 
Be! <cailed Aes to assist. He prays with us in our praying, 
He assists us in our need, He comforts us in our sorrow, He 
cheers us in our despondency, He guides us in our difficulties, 
_ He quickens our faith, He stirs our love, and He brightens - 
~ our hope. : 
ia The dove is beautiful in plumage. “ Though ye have lien 
_ among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove, covered 
with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold”’ (Psalm 
_ Ixviii. 13). Miss Whately has in her Ragged Life in Egypt 
_ described some of the sights she saw on the flat roofs of the 
houses in Cairo. Among other things she states, in referring 
_ to the flat roofs: ‘‘ One thing never seemed cleared away, 
and that was the heaps of old broken pitchers, sherds, and 
_ pots, that in these and similar houses are piled up in some 
corner; and there is a curious observation in connection 
_ with this. A little before sunset, numbers of pigeons sud- 
_ denly emerge from behind the pitchers and other rubbish, 
where they have been sleeping in the heat of the day, or 
_ pecking about to find food. They dart upwards, and career 
through the air in large circles, their outspread wings catching 
_ the bright glow of the sun’s slanting rays, so that they really 
_ resemble yellow gold ; then, as they wheel round, and are seen 
_ against the light, they appear as if they were turned to molten 
_ silver, most of them being pure white, or else very light 
coloured. . . . It was beautiful to see these birds rising clean 
sand eirieulhion: as doves always do from the dust and dirt in’ 
_ which they had been hidden, and soaring aloft in the sky till 
Reha es eealy out of sight among the bright sunset clouds.” 
+ May we not apply this to God’s Dove? As the sun of 
the testimony of the truth shines upon Him, how beautiful 
_ He appears. Who can with Him compare? He is all- 
- glorious within. There is a story told of a lady artist, who 
_ lost an only child. The mother began to paint on canvas the 
_ likeness of her child. She reproduced a striking likeness, and 
then put it away. Some little time after she went to look 


22 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy SPIRIT. 


on the face of her loved one, when, to her surprise, she found 
a number of blotches on the picture. She touched “the 
painting up, and expected it would be all right. She looked 
at it again shortly after, and there were the disfiguring marks 
making themselves seen again. After an examination the 
artist found the fault was not in the colours, but in the canvas. — 
That canvas is like us, however beautiful the picture of Christ 
the Spirit produces in our lives, there are sure to appear 
blotches every now and again; but with the Spirit Himself 
’ that can never be, the canvas of His nature is spotless, and 
it can never be that there shall be anything in Him but 
perfection. Shakespeare says :— 
| ““ Tf Cassio do remain, 
- He hath a daily peaney in his life 
That makes me ugly.” 

These words may be applied to the Holy Spirit, the more we 
know of Him, the more we discover our ugliness, and find 
out the blotches of our imperfection. But these may be taken 
by way of contrast. The beauty of the Spirit not only makes 
us conscious of our unworthiness, but if we get to know Him 
rightly, we find the beauty of the Spirit is not only a dis- 
covering beauty, it is also an imparting beauty. Communion 
with the Spirit leads to conformity to the Spirit. Moses 
dwells in the Lord’s presence and comes forth with the shining 
face. The two on the mount are transfigured with Christ. 
The outsiders, in the days of the early disciples, took know- 
ledge of them, that they had been with Jesus and learnt of 
Him. 

The dove is social in habit. The prophet, in referring to 
the habit of doves in the East, which fly in large companies, 
says : “‘ Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to 
their windows ?” (Isaiah lx. 8). The reference is to the doves 
who have been away from their apertures in the rocks, and are 
making their way home. As the dove is a social bird, so the 
Holy Spirit loves the society of the redeemed. Right through 
the Word of God there breathes the fact that the Lord loves 
the company of His own. When God finished the work of 
creation, He saw there was something needed to complete 
His ideal, so we find Him saying to the Son and the Spirit, 


THE Dove. 23 


“Tet us make man.” The same thing is illustrated in the 


life of Christ. He was continually seeking the company of 


those whom He loved. This is specially seen in His action 
with Peter, James and John. Again and again He took them 
with Him. They are seen with Him on the Mount of Trans- 
figuration ; in the house of Jairus, when He raised the ruler’s 
daughter from the dead ; and in the Garden of Gethsemane. _ 
How plaintive was His question to His disciples when He | 


ie - found them asleep in the garden, after He had asked them to 


watch with Him for one hour, as He said: ‘‘ Could ye not 
watch with Me one hour ?”’ The same is true of the Spirit. 
~ He loves the communion of saints. 


>) 


The preposition “‘ Meta” only occurs in connection with 
the Spirit three times in the New Testament, but they are 


most significant in their occurrence. Christ says He will, 


pray the Father that another Comforter may come, and 
“that He may abide with you for ever’? (John xiv. 16). 
Paul finishes his epistle to the Church at Corinth with the 
_ well-known benediction: “‘ The grace of the Lord Jesus, and 
the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be 
with you all”’ (11. Corinthians xiii. 14) ; and when he wrote 
to the saints at Thessalonica, and commended them for 
receiving the Word of God, among other things he said, they 
received it ‘‘ with joy of the Holy Ghost” (1. Thess. i, 6). 
These verses suggest a triangle of purpose. The Spirit as the 
Comforter or Paraclete, is the One Who is called alongside 
of the believer to assist him, and to meet the emergencies of 
the pilgrim life. 3 

Four times Christ speaks of the Holy Spirit as “ the Com- 
forter,’ and as such He is the Substitute for Christ, the. 
Divine Presence, the Instructor to teach, the Remembrancer 
to remind, the Testifier to witness, the Convicter of sin, and 


oS _ the Fulfiller of Christ’s promise (John xiv. 16, 26; xv. 26; 


xvi. 7). And in all these offices He proves the truth of His 
title—the Comforter or Helper—for | 


As Christ’s Substitute, He is all to us that Christ was ; 
As the Divine Presence, He is the Supplier of all need ; 


: " As the Instructor, He is the Unfolder of Christ’s glory ; 


cae Busta or ‘THE ieee Sprrin. eee 
‘As the Remembrancer, He is the Reminder of our obliga tn: 
_ tions. to Christ ; Ya oe : 
As the Testifier, He is the Wideeee to eed what He ne 
knows of Christ ; . oe 
As the Convio He reproves the world of their sin ny 
the lives and testimonies of His saints ; sere 
And as the Comforter, He is antl us to meet every 
necessity, and to help us in every need. 


The Spirit lives for us. He loves to have everything Har 


common with us, hence, as we are in sympathy with Him, we 
_ begin to realize what the “ communion of the Spirit” is ; for 


_as we have fellowship with Him in all the affairs of our life, 
this in turn leads us to have joy from Him, for obedience tO 


the Spirit is the secret of RL ee with Him, and the 2 


consequence is—His joy. 


There is a needs be to pause and listen to the Spirits ee: 


voice, if we are to know the virtue of His power. In the <3 


hum of life’s business, we are apt to forget the hush of the “ 2 


Lord’s Presence which steals into the spirit through waiting _ 


upon the Lord. Ruskin wrote to a young person once some 


true and terse words ; he said: “ There is no music in a rest, 
Katie, that I know of, but there is the making of music init. 
eBeanle are always missing that part of the life-melody, and © 
scrambling on without counting ; not that it is easy to count, | 
but nothing on which so much depends is very easy. People 
are always talking of perseverence and courage and fortitude ; 
but paler is the finest and worthiest of ede and the 
rarest, too.”’ 


* 


“In every life 
There’s a pause that is better than onward rush, 
Better than hewing, or mightiest doing ; reir c 
‘Tis the standing still at sovereign will. : 
There’s a hush that is better than ardent speech, vite 
Better than sighing, or wilderness crying ; ; 
’Tis the being still at sovereign will. 
The pause and the hush sing a double song 
In unison low, and for all time long. 
O, human soul, God’s working plan 
Goes on, nor needs the aid of man, 
Stand still, and see, 
Be still, and know.” 


THE. Dove. 25 


The shining face of Moses was not got by a hurried call at 
heaven’s gate, it was obtained by dwelling in the Lord’s 
presence for forty days. The skill of David in slinging stones 
was not obtained when he met Goliath, it was got by practice 
in the wilderness. The blessing of Pentecost came after the 
tarrying in prayer. If we would know the Spirit’s sociability 
we must tarry in His presence. 


” ae, st % y 
ry fay 


has 
air 


Reis 


Syllabus of — 
The Seal as an Emblem of the Holy Spirit. 


The Truth indicated—I. The Sealev—The Father’s Loving © 


Acts (Ephesians i.)—II. The Sealed—Christ’s sealing and 


ours: the similarity and the difference—III. The Seal— 


“As He is, so are we’’—IV. What the Seal implies—(1) A 


Finished Tvansaction—Jeremiah’s purchase from Hanameel 


(Jeremiah xxxii. 6-10)—God’s transaction with Christ about 
us—The Old Woman’s Statement—(z2) Security (Job xli. 15)— 
Two Seals—Three B’s—Placard outside the Church—* May 
no man reverse ’’ (Esther viii. 8 ; Ephesians iv. 30)—“ Until ”’ 
—(3) Ownership (Haggai ii. 23)—‘‘ We are Christ’s ’’— 
Merchants marking timber—(4) Recognition (u1. Timothy 
ii. 19)—What the Lord knows—Called by name—(5) Secrecy 


(Daniel xii. 9 ; Job ix. 7)—The secret life—Owen’s comment— ~ 
(6) Obligation (Nehemiah ix. 38)—Two Parties—In Bond—(7) 


Authority (1. Kings xxi. 8)—“ Exousia”’ and its use—(8) 
Impression—Outward proof of inward grace—What the 


Finnish Pastor wanted—The Qualifier—Dora Greenwell’s - a 


happy comment. 


x 


THE SEAL 


De Ue aT AAS IL ROG rah ES a ea 
way THE Se eee age Pauhindd aera A fy f 
RA ON Dt Ht Ae See PME ON TS Sah 


HE Holy Spirit, as the Seal, shadows forth the truth < 


that believers having been purchased by the blood of 
Christ, God marks them as His property by the bestowment 
of the Holy Spirit, Who takes up His abode in them, and 


witnesses to their acceptance in Christ. Thus the sealing of 


believers may be summed up as follows: it is the conscious 
acceptance of believers in Christ, by the assuring grace of the 


indwelling Spirit, Who witnesses in their hearts to that effect, 


by means of the Word. | 
There are four points we shall notice: (z) The Sealer ; 
(2) the Sealed ; (3) the Seal; (4) what the Seal implies. 


THE SEAL. eabe 27 


I. THE SEALER. 


The Sealer is God the Father. Christ’s testimony about 
His own sealing, as the Son of Man, is, ‘‘ Him hath God the 
Father sealed’ (John vi. 27). Believers are also sealed by 
God the Father. In the first chapter of Ephesians, we see 
the Father’s loving acts. He has blessed us in His Christ — 
with all blessing (i. 3) ; He has chosen us in His love before — 
all time (i. 4) ; He has predestinated us in His good pleasure 

_ to the place of His children (i. 5); He has graced us in His 
Beloved with all beauty (i. 6); He has enriched us in His 
grace with an abundant endowment (i. 7, 8) ; He has revealed 
~ to us His secret as to His plan to sum up all things in Christ 
(i. 9, 10) ; He has displayed in us His glory in the action of 
His love (i. 11, 12) ; and He has sealed us with His Spirit, thus 
marking us as His own possession (i. 13), for the word in 
_ It. Corinthians i. 22 may be rendered, ‘“‘ He hath marked us 
as His own,” and what that mark is, we are told in Ephesians 


: i. 13, namely, “ the Holy Spirit of Promise.’ 


We are too apt to forget the Father’s work. It is well for 
us to remember that the Father is the Source of every 
blessing, Christ the Channel, and the Spirit the Power. The 
Father gives, Christ does the work, and the Spirit applies. 
God chooses, Christ procures, and the Spirit quickens. 


TI. THE SEALED. 
Believers in Christ, and believers only, are sealed with the 


a Holy Spirit of promise. As sinners, we are quickened by 


Him, but as saints we receive Him, for the world cannot 
receive Him (John xiv. 17), and then He becomes God’s seal 
upon us. As an illustration of this truth, we cannot do 


‘ : better than look at the sealing of Christ, for as John Owen 


says: “If we can learn aright how Christ was sealed, we 
shall learn how we are sealed. The sealing of Christ by the 
Father was the communication of the Holy Ghost in all His 
fulness to Him, authorizing Him into, and acting His Divine 


ue _ power in all the acts and duties of His office, so as to evidence 


the presence of God unto Him and appropriation of Him. 


is >50 in God’s sealing of believers He owns them, and gives 
ne - them His Holy Spirit to fit them for their relations, to enable 


every way to Wiediaree. the work they are stalled to. ee fe 

gives them the spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind. 

And hereby does God seal them.”’ - 
As to the fact that Christ was sealed, Aaa te. ke 
testimony of John: “ John bare record, saying, I saw the 
Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode ee 
Him.’ At the sealing of Christ as the Son of Man, at His 
baptism, we see three things: (1) The descent of the Holy 
Spirit upon Him; (2) the voice of the Father from the 
opened heaven acknowledging His Son; (3) Christ knew that. 4 
He was sealed. He had the consciousness that He pleased — 
the Father. So, in the believer’s sealing, it is with the Holy — 
Spirit. God by His Word tells us that, as believers, we are | 
accepted in Christ, and He is well pleased with us in Him ; 

and He also acknowledges us in His Word as His children : 

‘Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed | 
upon us, that we should be called children of God, and such 
we are’’ (I. John iii. 1, R.v.) “ Ye are not in the flesh,” viz., 

in our old Adam starlings but i in Christ, and asa consequence 
the Spirit of God dwells in us ; and we know that we are thus 
sealed, for we are assured by the Lord in His Word, that in 
Christ we are sealed with the Spirit, for ‘‘ we have received — 
the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father ; and- 
the Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are 
the children of God’ (Romans viii. 15, 16). . a 
; There is a difference between Christ’s sealing and ours. 
He was sealed because of what He was in Himself, we are 

sealed because of what we are in Him. | 


III. THE SEAL. : ree ete te Ase 

The Seal signifies the ‘Holy ete Its Ob some _ 
emotion or experience, but it is the presence of the Holy 
Spirit in the believer, witnessing to his full acceptance in’ 
Christ, telling us by the Word that as Christ is, so are we in 
this world (1. John iv. 17), | a 
Is He the Son of God ? So are we sons of God (I. oe ze 
ili. I). | fy viel Oh Aol pie ate 
Is He beloved of God ? So are we (1. John iii. 1). 


‘Tue SEAL. 20 


hs He the ete eae One? So are we in Him (1. Cor. 
eye ox). | 
Is He without spot ? So are we in Him (SS. iv. vate 
_ Did He die on the cross? So did we in Him (Romans 
vi. 6, R.V.) 7 
Is He raised from among the dead ? So are we in Him 
(Ephesians ii. 6). ee. 
Is He accepted of God ? So are we in Him (Eph. i, 6). 
: Is He precious to God? So are we in Him (1. Peter 
A FY RAV) : : 
ae Is He the Holy One? So are we in Him (1. Cor. i. 2). 
Is He the anointed of God? So are we (1. John ii. 27)s 
What more terse and telling statement could be given 
ae than the following monosyllables ? ‘‘ As He is, so are we in 
SS : S ~ this world ” (1. John iv. 17). 
pone May we indeed be subject to Him Who is the Seal in us 
of our oneness and blessedness in Christ, and being subject to 
Him we shall live in the power of these precious facts, namely, 
what we are in Christ, and what Christ is to us. 


VV. Wuat rue Seat Impiies. 

I. Among men a seal signifies a finished transaction. When 
Hanameel came to Jeremiah for him to buy the field from 
him, after having bought it, he had the transaction written | 

in a book (Jeremiah xxxii. ro, margin), verified by witnesses, 
and then “ took the evidence of the purchase, both that which 
was sealed according to law and custom, and that which was 
_open.”’ There seems to have been two copies of the written 
contract, one which was signed and sealed, and one which was | 
- kept in a public place for anyone to see. But the signing and 
ie sealing spoke ofa definite transaction between two parties, 
as parties will say to-day when a legal document is attested— 
“Witness my hand and seal’? (Jeremiah xxxii. 6-14). God 
uses this transaction of Jeremiah’s as a pledge to him, that 
~~ He will restore Judah again to their own land (ereue 
‘XXXII. I5, 44). 
; A definite transaction was entered into by the Father and 
_ the Lord Jesus. The former covenanted to the latter to give 
_ to Him those who should believe on Him as a reward of His 


30. EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


vicarious toil, as Christ Himself says, “Them which Thou 
hast given Me” (John xvii. 9) ; and He in turn covenanted 
to give to His Father all that His own could never do. And 


as the rite of circumcision was the seal of the covenant that — 
God made with Abraham (Genesis xvii. 10, 11; Romans — 
iv. II); so the sealing of the Spirit is the mark of the 


finished transaction between God and Christ, as to our 
salvation. 

Many of God’s saints live an up-and-down experience, 
simply because they do not believe, or do not recognize the 
finished work of Christ and their standing in Him. They 
think that their salvation somehow or other depends partly, 
if not altogether, on them. They forget this fact, or they are 


ignorant of it, that man is an utter failure. God tried man in. 


imnocence (Adam in Eden), left him to his own conscience 


(Adam to Noah), tried him under law (children of Israel), 


and, from first to last, man was a failure; and the crowning 
proof of the enmity in man’s heart is seen as we look at the 
cross. We see what God thinks of man as we behold the 
Son of God, groaning, bleeding, suffering, dying, and 
remember that is what we deserved; but see also how 


Christ met every righteous claim of God. He satisfied Divine 


justice by having its sword sheathed in His own heart. He 
bore the curse of a broken law. He paralyzed the devil and 
undid his work ; by His very death He conquered him that 
had the power of it. Listen to His cry,.‘‘ It is finished ” ; 
and the proof of it is Christ at God’s right hand; and. the 
seal of this fact of the believer’s acceptance in Christ is the 


indwelling Spirit of God. As an old woman said once, “The 
Father and the Son settled the matter between them about my 


salvation, and I simply received the benefit of it.’’ 
2. Things are sealed for security. We read of Leviathan’s 


scales, they ‘‘ are his pride, shut up together as with a close _ 


seal ’’ (Job xl. 15). There is no vulnerable point in them : 


not even the air can get between them. So those who are 


united to Christ. Who can separate them from His love ? 
Man put a seal upon the tomb of Christ when He was 

buried, to keep His body secure, but He rose and passed 

through the clothes which swathed Him and the stone of the 


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‘THE SEAL. AY 


-sepulchre (Matthew xxvii. 66). The seal could not detain 
Him. During the millennium Satan will be shut up in the 
bottomless pit and firmly sealed down (Revelation xx. 3). 
_ As Lincoln says: ‘ Here the scene is reversed. In Matthew 
it was the devil up and Christ down, and man’s seal used to 
keep Him down. In Revelation the tables are turned, and 
Christ is up and the devil is down, and a seal ae to» 
keep him down.” | 

There are three precious B’s in God’s Word. God ee a 
Bottle for our tears (Psalm lvi. 8), a Book for our thoughts 
(Malachi iii. 16), and a Bag for our transgressions (Job xiv. 17), 


2 and Job says that that bag is sealed up. Yes, our sins are 


sealed up in a bag, and Satan dare not touch that seal. 
Christ has put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. I 
remember passing a high ritualistic church, near London, a 
few days before what is called Good Friday, and outside 
there was a large placard, with these words upon it: ‘‘ This 
is the day—Good Friday—when we come together to 
_ remember the sins for which Christ died.” Now God says, 
“ Your sins and iniquities I will remember no more.” Shall 
we remember what God says He has forgotten ? Rather, let 
us ever remember Him Who put them away. 

We read in Esther viii. 8, that the writing that was 
written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, — 
may no man reverse. That was the law of the Medes and the 
Persians, which altered not. In a far higher sense we know 
that no man or devil can reverse the sealing of the believer 
with the Spirit by God our Father, for we are sealed until the 
day of redemption (Ephesians iv. 30). We speak of final 
perseverance, but how much better is the fact that every 
true child of God will be finally preserved by God until the © 


_ day when Christ shall redeem our bodies. How sweet is that 


little word “until.”’ How often we find it occurring. 
Looking back in the past, we remember He sought us—like 
the shepherd did the sheep, until He found us (Luke xv. 4). 


im ee Thinking of the future, we are confident that He that has 
_ begun the good work in us will perform it until the day of 


os Jesus Christ (Philippians i. 6). In the meantime we are to 


remember Him until He come (1. Corinthians xi. 26) ; occupy 


Se aN Aina cl AGEN WA Ge SSNS yee Ca an Pty ee Gs pe Rt SAMY Opa. Nant AP Se ags Tg US tia Ua cs ReRe RL Leia Ce 
*, DRY Paes Sear UNA b - ’ BF padesac ‘ 


32. ~~~ +EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


as His servants until He come (Luke xix. 13); keep His 
commandments until His appearing (1. Timothy vi. 14, R.v.) ; 
that we may be without offence until the day of Christ | 
(Philippians i. 10). We also know the Antichrist will not be 

revealed until the hinde1ing power is taken out of the way, 
viz., the Spirit in the Church (11: Thessalonians ii. 7), and that _ 
He val not be satisfied until His enemies become His footstool 
(Hebrews x. 13). 

3. The thing that ts sealed belongs to someone : this umpltes 
ownership. sonia 

God’s promise to Zerubbabel was, ‘‘ I will make thee as a 
signet, for I have chosen thee’ (Haggai ii. 23). 

The Spirit frequently uses the possessive in reminding 
believers of their relationship to Christ. All things are ours, 
because we ‘‘ are Christ’s”’ (1. Corinthians iii. 23). We are 
responsible to recognize each saint, whatever his social 
position may be, because he is “ Christ’s servant’’ (1. Cor. 
vii. 22). When our Lord returns in grace, He will especially 
look after those who are said to be “‘ Christ’s at His coming ”’ 
(1. Corinthians xv. 23). No believer.is to think he occupies 


a peculiar position in God’s grace, for ‘‘ If any man trust to a 


himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, 
that as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s”’ (11. Cor. x. 7). 
The essential thing to give us the right of relationship with 
Abraham’s spiritual seed is, ‘If ye be Christ’s, then are ye 


Abraham’s seed” (Galatians iii. 29). The mark that we © 


belong to our Lord is clearly stated: ‘‘ They that are Christ’s 
have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts ”’ (Gal. 
v.24); and on the other hand those who are not in the Lord 
are said to “ 
Christ’s ’’ (Philippians ii. 21). If we truly recognize the 
Lord’s proprietary right to us, we cannot be out of oe 
with Him, nor with each other. | 
Bickersteth, in referring to the fact that believers are 


seek their own, not the things which are Jesus 


sealed with the Holy Spirit, says: ‘ The allusion to the seal = 2 
as a pledge of purchase would be peculiarly intelligible to the 


Ephesians, for Ephesus was a maritime city, and an extensive 
trade in timber was carried on there by the shipmasters of 
the neighbouring ports. The method of purchase was this : 


THE SEAL. (238 
_ The merchant, after selecting his timber, stamped it with his 
own signet, which was an acknowledged sign of ownership. 


_ He often did not carry off his possession at the time ; it was 
left in the harbour with other floats of timber ; fo it Was 


chosen, bought, and stamped ; and in due time the merchant on 


sent a trusty agent with the signet, who, finding that timber 

which bore a corresponding impress, claimed and brought it 

away for his master’s use. Thus the Holy Spirit impresses 

__ on the soul now the image of Jesus Christ ; and this is the 
sure pledge of the everlasting inheritance.” 

4. Thangs are sealed that they may be recognized by the mark 
of the seal. The Hebrew word rendered “ sealed” in Jeremiah 

_ Xxxil. 14 is rendered “marked” in Job xxiv. 16, and 
_“ stopped” in Leviticus xv. 3. The connection of these words 
illustrates their significance. In the latter place the unclean 
issue marks the man’s flesh and makes him unclean, and in 
the former passage the adulterer marks the house in the 
daytime, that he may recognize it at night when he comes to 
gratify his lust, hence, we read, ‘‘ In the dark they dig through 
houses, which they had marked for themselves in the 

- daytime.’’ 

The Lord stamps His own with the Spirit that He may 
recognize them, hence, we read, ‘‘ The foundation of God 
standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that 

_ are His” (1. Timothy ii. 19). Frequently the Lord is said to 

_ seal those whom He would recognize. The 144,000 of the 

_ twelve tribes of Israel during the time of the tribulation, are a 

sealed host (Revelation vii. 2-8). 

ee: There are things which God says He aye Ete 
We _ knoweth the way that I take’ (Job Xxill. 10) ; “‘ He knoweth 
a _ our frame ”’ (Psalm ciii. 14) ; ‘‘ He knoweth them that trust in 
_ Him” (Nahum i. 7) ; He knows His sheep (John x. 14). He 
-__ Arnows His own. They may not be known by the world ; 
ei but in spite of the rubbish of ritualism, formalism, attacks bi 
oS. infidels, unbelief of the world, and the hypocrisy that abounds, 
God has, and knows His own, and each one of them 
ae individually. 

“TT have called thee by thy name, thou art Mine ” (Isaiah 
xiii, 1). The Lord docs not put His people in the bulk, but 
i : C 


Tox! 


34 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy SPIRIT. 


euductehaat 


He names them in particular, and notices their individual — 2 


characteristics. Abraham, the faithful ; Isaac, the peaceful ; 
Moses, the meek; Elijah, the courageous; Daniel, the 


devoted ; John, the beloved ; and Peter, the zealous; are — 


all and sich known by the Lard and the grace which made 
them what they were. 

5. A sealed document speaks of secrecy. When God 
revealed to Daniel certain things, he is told they are “ closed 
up and sealed ’”’ (Daniel xii. 9). God is also said to “ seal up 
the stars’ (Job ix. 7). There are secrets about them which 
He alone knows. The reason why those who are in spiritual 


sloth cannot understand the things of God is because they are 


as a sealed book to them (Isaiah xxix. 11). The Bridegroom, 
in speaking of His Beloved, says: “ A garden inclosed is My 


Sister, My Spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed (329 
(Canticles iv. 12). The fountains were sealed to keep out — 
the dust of the desert, as well as to declare ownership. The — 


believer’s life is said to be ‘‘ hid with Christ in God’ (Col. 


iii. 3). The word “‘ hid’? might be rendered “ secret”? : it is — - 


rendered “‘ secretly’? in John xix. 38. The “hidden” or 
“secret ’’? man of the heart (1. Peter iii. 4) loves to keep in 


the secret chamber of. the Lord’s presence, and to do all things — 3 
there as unto Him (Matthew vi. 4, 6, 18). The sealed heart 


loves to keep in touch with the Spirit, for it knows He is the 
Secret Force to move in all things, for as John Owen says : 


‘““God’s sealing of believers is His gracious communication — 


of the Holy Ghost unto them, so to act by Divine power in 


them as to enable them unto all the duties of their holy 
calling, evidencing them to be accepted with Him both to 
themselves and others, and asserting their preservation unto 
eternal salvation.’”’ Men may wonder that God’s people can 
be what they are, but they would cease to wonder if they only 
knew the Spirit as He is. 3 

6. A sealed document indicates obligation. When Nehemiah 


recognized the obligation of Israel as God’s servants to serve 


Him, we hear him saying: ‘‘ We make a sure covenant, and 
write it, and our princes, Levites and priests, seal unto it ; 
now those who were at the sealing (margin) were Nehemiah,” 
&c. (Nehemiah ix. 38 ; x. 1). Each ot-the covenanting parties 


Tue Seat. | 35 


to a deed is mutually responsible to fulfil his several 
contracting duties. In relation to the Holy Spirit, there is 
God’s part pledging to bring us through to the glory, hence, 
_ the Spirit in relation to us is called “The Holy Spirit of 
7 Promise, "as the “ Earnest of our inheritance ” (Eph. i: 13), 
__ and there is our part not to “ grieve the Holy Spirit of God,’ 

- because we are sealed with Him unto the day of redemption. 
When a case sealed by the British Government, which is 

i destnated to Canada, has to pass through the United States, 
the latter power will respect the former’s seal and see that 
the case is safely delivered. It would be a violation of 
: international treaty and courtesy for the bonded article to 
be disturbed. Believers are destinated to the glory, and 
while passing through this world are bonded in the govern- 
ment of grace, and the Lord will see we are safely delivered 
Ute the place of His purpose in Christ. The sealed ones are 

_ responsible not to deface the seal, nor mar the work of the 
Spirit by grieving Him, but to keep in simple and whole- 
hearted obedience to the word of His direction. - 

7. A seal indicates authority. Wily Jezebel knew when 
she took the king’s seal and sealed the letters she sent to the 
elders of the city where Naboth lived, that they would recog- 

_ nize the stamp of the king’s authority (I. Kings xxi. 8). The 

__ same thought is embodied in Haman’s action in sealing with 
the king’s ring, which Ahasuerus had given to him, the 
mandate which meant the slaughter of the Jews (Esther iii. 12), 
and the counter-mandate of the king for the Jews to defend 
themselves against Haman’s iniquitous proposal (Esther 
2 ie - viii. 8-10). Daniel sealed up in the lions’ den expresses the 
same thought of authority (Daniel vi. 17). 

_ There is one Greek word, ‘“‘exousia,’ often trans- 
_lated ‘power,’ which means authority. It is rendered 
» authority” in Luke xix. 17, “liberty” in 1. Cor. viii. Q, 
“right” in Hebrews xiii. ro, “ jurisdiction’ in Luke xxiii. 7, 
_“ strength” in Revelation xvii. 13, and ‘‘ power” in Matthew 
xxviii. 18. If the passages are looked at, it will be seen that 
e authority i is the better word in each case. To want authority 
in the things of God for authority’s sake, is to miss the 
_ authority that is sought, but to be under the authority of 


wre 


« 


36 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


the Lord for His glory’s sake is to have His authority behind 
us. Simon Magus wanted the “ power’ (“ exousia’’) of the 
Spirit for his own display (Acts viii. 19), but on the other 
hand there are certain rights which the Lord gives His own. 
For instance, He gives them the “ vight”’ (‘‘ exousia’’) to the 
Tree of Life (Revelation xxii. 14). He gives them “ power ”’ 
(‘‘ exousia ’’) to become the children of God (John i. 12), and 
also ‘‘ authority,’ for the authority which the Lord has given 


to us is the Holy Spirit (Mark xiii. 34), as the apostle intimates 
when he says to the Corinthians, “ The power (‘ exousia ’) | 
which the Lord hath given me to edification” (1. Cor. 


xiii. 10). The presence and operation of the Spirit are the 


authority for our actions, not that He is given that we may 


use Him, but He is given that He may use us, and thus 


through us demonstrate His authority, even as the herald has _ 


the authority of the king when he acts according to the king 

in his authority, and therefore has the king in his authority. 
8. The seal leaves an impression upon the wax which 

corresponds to it. The outward evidence of the sealing with 


the Spirit is the resemblance between Him and those sealed. — 


We have no right to say we have the Spirit of Life if we have 
not the life of the Spirit. The Spirit of Truth is seen in the 


truth of the Spirit. The Spirit of Love is manifest in the 


love of the Spirit. The Spirit of Grace is evidenced by the 
grace of the Spirit. The Spirit of Humility is made known 


by the humility of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is revealed in _ 


the holiness of the Spirit. The translation into the kingdom 
of God’s dear Son (Colossians i. 13) is demonstrated by the 
transfiguration into His character (11. Corinthians iii. 18), 
where the Spirit dwells His love is seen. Life from the Spirit 
is followed by the walk in the Spirit (Galatians v. 25). 

Look not at the Spirit within to find Him, but look at the 
Christ without, and He will find you. We have not to feel the 
pulse of our experience, but to keep our hearts in touch with 
Him by our obedience. ‘‘ I want to know more of the Spirit's 
power, the power I once had,” said a Finnish pastor to me in 
New York. ‘‘ What hinders ?”’ I asked; “ there is a cause 
for every effect!’ ‘‘ Yes, I know.” ‘‘Is there any sin ?” I 
asked. ‘‘ Yes, there is one thing I do not want, yet I often 


ss 


THE SEAL. 37 


want it, and I want the Lord to take away the want!” ‘‘ He 
| will give what you want, if you honestly ask Him,” I said ; 
~ but remember this, there will be no consecration and power 
till there is cleansing ; and when you are cleansed He will be 
to you all you need by looking, not at the Spirit Who fills, but 
_to Christ the Filler and Qualifier.”’ ee 

We need to emphasize this latter, for many are looking 
the wrong way. Dora Greenwell puts it happily when she 
‘Says: “ Faith saves us, but how ?—by making us aware of 
Christ, Who saves. Faith does not make things what they 
are, but shows us them as they arein Christ. Certain systems 
lay a pressure upon the subject side greater than the spirit 
of man is at times able to bear ; working out all things from 


ae the depths of individual consciousness as if truths were not 


there at all until they are manifestly there for us. Happy 
for us if Christ can look there and find His own image 
reflected, however faintly, but we must look at Him, at the 
sun in the heavens, not at the sun in the lake, its broken and 
ever-varying reflection.”’ 


Syllabus of the Holy Anointing Oil. 


The Spirit’s Pre-eminence—I. The Composition of The Holy } 


Anointing Oil—Seven Particulars (Exodus xxx. 22-25)—The 
Best—The “Pure Myrrh” of the Spirit’s Excellence— 
Characteristics of Myrrh—The ‘‘ Sweet Cinnamon” of The 
Spirit’s Grace—What the Spirit does—The “ Sweet Calamus ” 
of the Spirit’s Worth—Lacordaire’s remark—The “ Cassia ” 

of the Spirit’s Righteousness—Alexander Balfour and business 
—The test—The unpentecosted member of the P.L. —The 
“Oil Olive” of the Spirit’s presence—Passover secures 
Pentecost—The “ Shekel”’ of the Spirit’s word—Eve’s three 


blunders—Obedience—-How the Christian became an 
agnostic—The Holy Anointing Oil of the Spirit's holiness— _ 


What the Spirit 7s and does—The use of “ Epz”’ in relation to 
Christ and believers—‘‘ The Seven Trumpets ’’—The little 
girl and the pillow—II. Prohibitions concerning the Holy 
Anointing Oil (Exodus xxx. 32, 33)—(1) Not to be put on 
man’s flesh—The spiritual having absolute sway—A worker 
drifting from the dynamic of the Spirit to the demoniac of 


the devil—Ambrose’s question to the knight—Three blighting _ 


tendencies of the times—The Word of God versus the voice 
- of carnal reason—Frank Crossley’s testimony—Selfish ends 
in spiritual ates Uae and Simon Magus—F. Crossley on 
‘legitimate means ’’—‘‘ The weaker part ’’—The investure 
which makes invisible—False sentimentality versus true 
practicality—G. noe words—‘‘ He do nothing: he 
very holy man’”’—(2) The anointing oil not to be put on 
strangers—Godet’s comment—(3) No imitation of the holy 


ointment allowed—Flippant expressions—Cases in point— Biss 


Ill. The Application of the Holy Anointing Oud (Exodus 


xxx. 26-29)—The anointed tabernacle and Christ ve The _ 


Spirit of Jehovah—Scotch body’s testimony—The anointed 
ark and Christ ve The Spirit of Wisdom—Demosthenes and 
Cowper on wisdom—The anointed table and Christ re The 


Spirit of Understanding—What God said to the mother about 
her child—The anointed lampstand and Christ ve The Spirit 


of Counsel—Andrew Bonar’s comment on the lascivious 
38 


he Hoty ANOINTING Onmy : : 39 


ae woman and the peace ietcee Tae anointed incense altar 

and Christ ve The Spirit of Might—“ Bite bigger, Billy ” 
The anointed altar of burnt offering and Christ ve The Spirit 
of Knowledge—Browning’s poem—Hawker’s comment— 
What it means to know Christ--Bishop Fisher’s testimony— __. 
The anointed laver and Christ ve The Spirit of the Fear of the — 

_ Lord. 


THE HOLY ANOINTING OIL. 


as eee EXODUS XxX, 22, 23-33. 


ae HE holy anointing oil is pre-eminently a type of the 
Sy) ee Holy Spirit in His personal worth, and in the perfection 
ae ol lis graces. As there was none to be made like it, so there — 
is none who can be compared to Him. He excels in His 
_~ excellence. He is supreme in His superiority. He is unique 
in His holiness. He is majestic in His might. He is, like 
_. Christ, the chiefest among ten thousand and the altogether 
_ lovely. We say of Him and to Him: 
Boe “O Thou, of Comforters the best, 
O Thou, the soul’s most welcome Guest, 
O Thou, our sweet repose ; 
Our resting-place from life’s long care, 


Our shadow from the world’s fierce glare, . 
Our solace in all woes. 


“O Light Divine, all light excelling, 
Fill with Thyself the inmost dwelling 
Of souls sincere and lowly ; 
Without Thy pure Divinity, 
Nothing in all humanity, 
Nothing is strong or holy.” 


ake THE CoMPosiITION OF THE Hoty ANOINTING OIL. 


eek Nothing was left to the concept of Moses; Jehovah gave — 
him distinct and specific directions, which me was responsible 
eto. carry out. The spices are named, the weight of each given, 

the weight to be employed specified, the way the spices were 

to be mixed, the oil with which the spices were to be blended, 
and the name by which the compound was to be called. 
__ Let us notice the several details and ponder their spiritual 
significance. 


40 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


Thére are seven particulars given about this oil. There 


were to be four specified spices in certain proportions, mingled — 


with a hin of oil olive; the spices were to be principal ones, 


and they were to be weighed “after the shekel of the 


sanctuary.” 

The spices were to be the best. The word “ principal” 
is of frequent occurrence in the Psalms, and is rendered 
‘ excellent’ (Psalm cxli. 5), “ head’’ (Psalm xxiil. 5), “top” 
(Psalm Ixxii. 16), “‘ beginning” (Psalm cxix. 160), and 
‘chief’? (Psalm cxxxvii. 6). The spices were to be the best. 
There was to be nothing second-rate or inferior. Everything 
was to be of the best. How true this is of the Holy Spirit! 
He is excellent in His Divine personality, for He is the Spirit 
of God, God the Spirit. He is the Head of the things of the 
mystical body of Christ, for He gives to each member as He 
wills. He is the beginning of the spiritual life, and the chief, 
having the supervision of all the graces and gifts of the Gospel, 
even as Eleazer was the steward of Abraham, who carried out 
his commissions, sought out Rebekah, showed her the jewels 
of his master, got her to be the wife of Isaac, and conducted 
her safely to one who was waiting to receive her to himself. 
In whatever way we think of the Lord Jesus and the Father, 
the Holy Spirit is the Mover, the Revealer, the Executor, the 
Initiator, the Originator in all. 


The ‘“ Pure Myrrh” of The Spirits Excellence. “ Pure 


myrrh,’ or as Rotherham renders it, “ self-flowing myrrh.” 
Myrrh was obtained in one of two ways: by making an 
incision into the tree, or by the gum which exuded from it. 
It was the latter which was used, because of its purity and 
because it came freely from the tree without the act of man. 
The word ‘pure’ is rendered “ liberty,” and is specially 


associated with the year of jubilee. (Leviticus xxv. 10; 


Isaiah lxi. 1; Jeremiah xxxiv. 8, 15, 17; Ezekiel xlvi. 17.) 


There is nothing forced about the Holy Spirit, nor in the 


realm of grace into which He brings those who are Christ's. 
The Spirit goeth where He listeth, and makes those free 
whom He enlisteth. Walking in the Spirit, there is no fear 


of being fettered by the flesh nor fretted by fear. As the 


song in the lark makes it soar, so the Spirit in the believer 


THE Hoty ANOINTING OIL. AI 


lifts him into the blue of heaven’s joy, into the sunshine of 


ee God’s love. 


The reference to myrrh in Scripture indicates its 
properties, and suggests its spiritual significance. The oil of 
myrrh is purifying in its application, as used by the women of 
the court of Ahasuerus (Esther ii. 12). Myrrh is fragrant in 
us smell. The king in His grace and beauty and influence,. 
as typified in His garments being anointed with the oil of — 
gladness, is said to “‘ smell of myrrh’ (Psalm xlv. 8). And 
frequently we read of “sweet-smelling myrrh’’ (Canticles | 
v. 5, 13), and being “perfumed with myrrh” (Proverbs 


vil. 17; Canticles iii. 6). Myrrh is rare in its finding. It 


6¢ 


grew “‘in Arabia around Saba.” The bride, in speaking of 
the rarity, beauty and exclusive excellence of her Beloved, 
exclaims of Him: “A bundle of myrrh is my well-Beloved ”’ 
(Canticles i. 13). Myrrh is costly in its price. When the wise 
men brought their treasures to the infant Christ as expressing 
their homage and affection for him, among those treasures 
were “gold, frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew ii. 11). 
Myrrh is soothing in its use. When they at the cross would 
mitigate the pain of the suffering Saviour they offered Him 
“wine mingled with myrrh” (Mark xv. 23), but He would 
not receive it. Myrrh is preventive in its nature. The secret 
disciple Nicodemus rendered a service to the body of his 


‘Lord when he would preserve it by the ‘“‘ hundred pounds’ 


weight ” of ‘myrrh and aloes’’ (John xix. 39). One other 
thing we may notice about myrrh which is not mentioned in 


the Scriptures: it is bitter in its taste. Fausset says of the 


wine which was offered to Christ on the cross, ‘‘it was 
embittered by myrrh.”’ 

Every one of these points finds its counterpart in the 
gracious personality and work of the Holy Spirit. He is the 
Punifier to fit us for the fellowship of our Divine Lord and 
Master. He is the Imsfiver of. our worship, and makes it 


- ascend to the Lord as an odour of a sweet smell. He is the 
_ Exceller Who alone can make us to be rare, peculiar and 
_ above the natural, for 


‘* Every virtue we possess 
And every conquest won, 
And every thought of holiness, 
Are His alone.”’ 


42 : EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty SPIRIT. 


He is the Gift of priceless sare which Christ has purchased © 
and given by and through the price of His own peerless death. 
He is the Comforter, Who soothes by His presence, inpathizes 
with His love, and cheers in His grace. He is the Preserver, 
Who shields by His environment and endues in His power ; 


and He is the Tester, Who often in His providential dealings — 


with us leads us into suffering and trial, that the spiritual life 
may be toned up, and that He by so doing may make the 
sweet the sweeter, the light the brighter, and the glory the 
more glorious. 


The ‘Sweet Cinnamon” of The Spirits Grace. The — 


cinnamon is the aromatic inner rind of the ‘‘ Laurus cinna- 
momum.’ This spice is only mentioned in two other places 


in the Old Testament. Once in calling attention to what the © 


Beloved compares His Bride when He speaks of her as a 
‘garden enclosed,’ and enumerates the different things 
found in the garden, and among uses speaks of “ spikenard 
and saffron, calamus and cinnamon.’’ The Beloved bids the 
winds to blow upon this garden, that “‘ the spices thereof may 
flow out.’? Whereupon the Bride responds by saying, ‘ Let 
my Beloved come into His garden and eat His pleasant 


_ fruits’’ (Canticles iv. 12-16). The other place where the 


word occurs is in Proverbs vii. 17, in speaking of the strange 


woman who is made to say, as she seeks to entice her victim, | 


‘‘T have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.’’ 
Gesenius derives the word cinnamon from “ guun,”’ “ quaneh,”’ 
“cane,” the idea being that of standing upright. Dr. Strong 
says it is “‘ from an unused root, meaning to erect, cinnamon 


bark, as in upright rolls.’’ The cinnamon is described as 
being ‘‘sweet,’’ or as it might be rendered, ‘‘ cinnamon of — 
spice.’’ The same word is given “ spices ’’ in Exodus xxx. 23, | 


and ‘‘ sweet odours’’ in Esther ii. 12. It signifies that which 


is fragrant. 
All this proclaims the neat and satisfying grace of 


the Holy Spirit. He is the Producer of the graces of the 
Christian life, which rejoice the heart of Christ and makes ~ 


Him appreciate what they are and do, even as He did the 


act of Mary’s love in anointing Him for His burial. He is 


the Perfumer, Who makes the resting-place of God’s love in 


ee 
a 


Tue Hoty ANOINTING OI. 43 


e Christ to be fragrant with the fellowship of God’s care, even | 
as Christ fed the seated and hungry multitude with bread 


which had been in His gracious hands. He is the Evecter, 
Who makes the believer to be erect in the rectitude of His 
inspired Word, even as the psalmist says, “‘ He leadeth me in 
the paths of righteousness’; and He is the Sweetener, Who 
will make the temper fragrant with the grace of patience and 
forbearance. Charles Swain says of a good temper : 


“A charm to banish grief away, 
To free the brow from care— 
Turns tears to smiles, makes dulness gay, 
Spreads gladness everywhere. 


“As smiles the rainbow through the cloud 
When threatening storm begins, 
As music ’mid the tempest loud 
That still its sweet way wins. 


‘“ As springs an arch across the tide 
When waves conflicting foam, 
So comes the seraph to our side, 
The angel to our home.” 


_ The way to conquer a bad temper is to be conquered by 
the Spirit; and the way to obtain a good temper is to be 
ever tempered by the gracious Spirit. No one ever sought 
His aid by prayer but was made gentle by His power. He 


who would be sweet must be sweetened. 


The ‘‘ sweet calamus”’ of The Spirit’s worth. We cannot 
be dogmatic as to what special spice is here indicated. It 


was evidently a fragrant cane. “‘ A scented cane is said to 


have been found in a valley in Lebanon, reed-like, much- 


jointed, and very fragrant when bruised.” The Hebrew 
_word is rendered “‘ stalk’ in speaking of the “‘ seven ears of 
corn....upon one stalk’ (Genesis xli. 5) which Pharaoh saw 
in his dreams. The same word is rendered “branch” in 


describing the lampstand and its branches: ‘‘ His shaft and 


his branch” (Exodus xxxvii. 17). It is also rendered “‘ reed” 


and “cane”’ in Isaiah xlii. 3 and xlili. 24, In the latter 


oe passage God charges His people with not having brought Him 


“sweet cane,’ and in the former it is said, ‘a bruised veed 


shall He not break.” Newberry says of the spiritual signifi 
- -cance of this spice: ‘‘ Calamus is the pith—sweet and fragrant 


44 EMBLEMS OF THE Ho ty Spirit. 


also. Emblematic of the Spirit of Christ in all His internal 
thoughts, feelings and affections.” Men deal with the surface 
of things, and often form an opinion of a thing or a person by 


what they see, but the Spirit searcheth the heart and goes — 


into the depths. ‘‘ The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the 
deep things of God ”’ (1. Corinthians ii. 10). _Lacordaire over- 
heard one say in a Paris restaurant : ‘“‘ I cannot believe in God, 
because I believe only in what I understand.” 

Whereupon Lacordaire remarked: ‘‘ There is one who 
does not believe in God, because he does not understand Him : 
nor does he understand why the same fire melts the butter 
and hardens eggs, yet he eats an omelet.” 

How different is the child of God! He knows he cannot 
understand all that God is, any more than a child can under- 
stand the business of his father, but he knows God knows, 


and to know that He knows is all he cares to know. Tell a 
man of the world that he is to rest his heart on the bosom 
of God and he does not understand what you mean, but tell _ 


a tired tried believer and he at once rests and is content, and 
sings with you as on his way he goes: 
“ Be still, my soul, thy Father loveth thee ; 
Fret not, nor murmur at thy weary lot ; 
Though dark and lone thy journey seem to be, 
Be sure that thou art ne’er by Him forgot. 
He ever loves; then trust Him, trust Him still 5 
Let all thy care be this—the doing of His will. 
Canst thou not trust His rich and bounteous hand 
Who feeds all living things on sea and land ? 
Be thou content.”’ 


To know the sunshine of the Spirit’s care and love is to 
have a talisman which turns every care into a blessing, and 
every rough place in life into a Bethel. 

The “cassia” of The Spirit's righteousness. There is a 
good deal of uncertainty as to what spice is meant by cassia. 
Its origin is doubtful, but if the derivation suggested by 
Robertson be correct, it springs from a root which signifies 
“to cleave,” and also “to stoop’”’ and to ‘‘ bow down.” 
Newberry says it is the ‘‘ outer bark” of an aromatic plant, 
and is expressive of the gentleness, sweetness and excellence 
of the external character and conduct. The same Hebrew 


THE HoLy ANOINTING OIL. 45 


word only occurs in one other place (the “ cassia’ spoken of 
in Psalm xlv. 8 is a different word), namely, in Ezekiel 
_ XxXvuil. 19, where reference is made to the merchandise of Dan 
and Javan: “ Bright iron, cassia, and calamus were in thy 
_ market.” We can at least make a practical application of the 


_ spiritual meaning in the last association, for is there not a 


need in our trafficking in the markets of men, in the outer 
things of life, that we should be so under the sway of the 
Spirit that nothing mean, shoddy or unrighteous should 
characterize us ? 

One of the grandest testimonies ever given to a Christian 
merchant was one given by a customer of the late Alexander 
Balfour, of Liverpool. He said: ‘‘ When an order was given 
it was carried out exactly as if he were acting for himself. 
Of course, I could not but stick to him.” 

It may be asked, ‘‘ What main principle should actuate a 
Christian business man ?’”’ I believe with the one who has 
said: ‘All business practices and methods are to be tried, 
_ not by the prevailing customs of the trade or profession, but 
by the Spirit of Christ.” This applies to all, to every sphere 
in life. I once asked a Christian to do a piece of work in 


___ order to help him, but he did it so badly and lazily that I 


vowed I would never employ him again ; and I once bought 
an article from a certain member of the Pentecostal League, 
which turned out to be so poorly done that when I meet him 
in meetings and in the street, I have to pray against a feeling 
of contempt which arises in my heart. The one thing which 
shall keep us right and true is ever to be acting under the 
Spirit of God ; then we shall give and get value for money. 
The Lord will be consulted and served, then our motto will 


be, not how to get on, but how to keep in with Him, and if we 


keep in with Him we shall get on with our fellows. 

The “‘ oil olive’ of The Spirit's presence. The basis of the 
anointing oil was olive oil, or, as the Scripture says, ‘‘ odl 
olive’’ ! that is, the oil to be used was that which was obtained 
by bruising, which at once suggests that before we could 
have the blessing of the Spirit’s anointing there must be the 


bruising of Christ’s atonement. Pentecost is made possible 
__ by the Passover. Calvary secures the coming of the Spirit. 


46 EMBLEMS OF THE HOoLy Spirir. 


I do not intend to dwell upon the uses of oil as mentioned in 
‘Holy Writ now, but shall hope in a subsequent chapter to _ 


~ refer to this most suggestive topic. But by type, emblem and 
illustration, we are reminded that Christ’s work for us secures 


and precedes the Spirit’s work in and through us. Our Divine 3 


Isaac is offered up before Eleazer is sent forth to get a bride 
for the Beloved Son. The Rock must be smitten before the 
water gushes out. The burnt offering is mentioned before the 
meat offering mingled with oil. Jordan must be passed before 
Canaan is entered. Christ goes beneath the waters of baptism, 
typical of His baptism on the cross, before Heaven is opened 
and the Spirit descends. He spoke of His exodus in death, 
on the mount of transfiguration (Luke ix. 31), before He went 
to Olivet and told of the Spirit’s coming (Luke xxiv. 49). 
The blood comes first in the cleansing of the leper and in the 


consecration of the priests, then the oil on the blood (Lev. 


XIv. 14; Exodus xxix. 7). 

The “‘ shekel”” of the Spirit's word. Not a single thing 
was left to the caprice or thought of Moses. The quantity 
of the spices and the standard weight were all determined by 
_ God Himself. We must be careful to use God’s weights for 


His things. What God says, and not what we think, must | 
ever be the weight to weigh our actions. One command of | 


the Lord was that “ Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers 
weights ’’ (Deuteronomy xxv. 13); that is, a heavy one to 
buy with and a light one to sell with. Is it not a fact that 
too often the maxim of the world is, ‘‘ Get as much as you can 
for your money, never mind how the article is obtained ; and 


sell as high as you can, never mind who suffers?” It is — 


thought by some that the shekel of the sanctuary was double 


the weight of the ordinary weight. Whether that was so or _ 


not we do know this, that God’s thought about things is 


always beyond the most lofty of man’s. ‘“‘ My thoughts are ~ Bo 


not your thoughts.’’ Men are doing to-day what Eve did 


long ago with the Word of God: they take from, add to and 


alter. The Lord told our first parents they were to eat of 
every tree of the garden freely, but Eve took from the Lord’s 
word when she said to the tempter, ‘‘ We may eat of the fruit 
of the trees of the garden’’ (Genesis ii. 16; iil. 2). She 


Tue Hoty ANoIntTING Or. 47 


omitted the word freely, and thus cast a reflection on God’s 
character. Eve added to the word of the Lord when she 
- said she was prohibited from “ touching the tree.”’ The Lord 
had said nothing about touching the tree, but that they were 
not to eat of it (Genesis ii. 17; iii. 3); and Eve altered the 
word of the Lord when she referred to the consequence of 
disobedience by saying, ‘‘ Lest ye die,’ whereas the Lord had 
said, ‘’ Thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis il. 17 ; iii. 3). Gace 
Whenever any have failed to comply with the Lord’ S 
ot direction it has meant the loss of blessing or the prevention of 
it. Naaman got no cleansing from his leprosy so long as he 
ye followed the “I thought ”’ of his own reason, but as soon as 
_ he obeyed the Divine fiat to wash in Jordan then he was 
cleansed. Saul was commissioned to ‘utterly destroy ”’ 
Amalek, but he spared the goodly for the Lord’s service, and 
the consequence was he lost his kingdom and was slain by the 
hand of one of the race he had spared. The man of God out 
of Judah was told to do a certain service in a certain way, but 
he listened to the old prophet of Bethel, and met an untimely 
death as the result of his disobedience. 7 
Let me give a practical illustration. I knew a Christian 
man who went right in the face of the Lord’s command, ‘‘ Be 
ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers,”’ by going — 
_ Into business with a man who was an agnostic. What was 
the consequence ? It was not long before he began to read 
_ books which engendered doubt in his mind and unbelief in 
his heart, and ultimately he gave up all we hold dear in the 
_ Christian faith. Let any one fail to weigh his actions with 
_ the weights of the sanctuary and at once he will get wrong. 
E Certainly we must accept what the Lord says about the 
_ Holy Spirit, for as all the spices were weighed according to 
_ the sanctuary weight so all the Holy Spirit is, in His efficient — 
graces, must be determined by what the Lord says of Him in 
His word. The Lord knew what He was about when He told 
His disciples to “tarry in Jerusalem till they were endued 
with power from on high.” He knew they could only have — 
power by the Holy Spirit coming upon them; power to 
suffer, power to serve, power to worship, power & live, power 
to hear, power to witness, yea, all that was requisite to life 


48 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


and godliness. The same thing is true now; we have no 
might for anything apart from the Holy Spirit in His almighty 
efficiency. 

The “holy anointing oil” of the Spirit's holiness (Exodus 


Xxx. 31). The composition when completed was called ‘‘ The 


holy anointing oil,’ because of the sacred use to which it was 
devoted, and it typifies the Holy Spirit in the holiness of His 
character as He equips believers for the service of God. The 
different titles which are given to the Holy Spirit are significant 
of what He does. He is “‘ the Spint of God,’ therefore, God 
the Spirit in His Deity and omnipotence (Ephesians iv. 30) ; 
He is the “ Spirit of Christ,’ for He is given by Christ and 


speaks of Him (1. Peter i. 11) ; He is the “ Spirit of Life,” for 


He is the communicator of the life of God and the sustainer 
of the spiritual life (Romans viii. 2); He is the “ Spirit of 
Tvuth,” in opposition to everything that is false and untrue, 


and as indicative of all that is true and real (John xiv. 17) ; 
He is the ‘‘ Spirit of Grace,’ as the bestower of all the graces . 


of the spiritual life, and as the inspirer of all that is gracious 
(Zechariah xii. 10) ; He is the ‘‘ Spirit of Power,’ as opposed 


to all that is weak and inefficient, and as the enabler to every — 


good (Acts i. 8) ; and He is the “ Sfirit of Holiness,” or the 
“ Holy Spit,’ because He alone can sanctify and make us 
like Himself (Romans i. 4). 

By way of illustration let us take a few sentences in the 
New Testament where the Spirit is said to be “ the Holy 


Spirit,” and briefly note by the connection how holiness of __- 


heart and life are suggested. 

“ Sanctified by the Holy Ghost’’ (Romans xv. 16). He is 
the One Who separates from all evil, and to the Lord Himself, 
even as the refiner removes the dross from the silver and 
stamps the image of the King upon it. 

“Joy in the Holy Ghost’? (Romans xiv. 17). Joy is a 
grace which only lives in the realm of holiness, even as the 
bird lives in the air and the fish in the water. As we are in the 
realm of the Spirit, we possess His joy. 

“Temple of the Holy Ghost’? (1. Corinthians vi. 19). The 
body of the believer is the abode of the Spirit, hence we are 
holy because He is, even as the magic wand of the legend 


NBEO US SEARS NTS Pt ARR 
ate! a LAGE 


Ssiakd Soot 


TxE Hoty ANOINTING OIL. 4g 


silvered all the cave. ‘‘ The temple of God is holy, and such 


are ye”’ (1. Corinthians iii. 17, R.v.M.) 


“ Keep by the Holy Ghost” (1. Tim. i. 14). The Spirit is the 
safe depository and the guard which preserves what the Lord 
has entrusted to the believer, namely, the Gospel with which 
he is to trade, even as the treasure in the Bank of England 
is guarded by the guard outside and locked vaults within. 

“ Partakers of the Holy Ghost”’ (Hebrews vi. 4). As the 


child partakes of the nature and traits of its parents, even so 


believers, by virtue of their spiritual birth, possess the nature 
of the Holy Spirit; they know this in increasing power as 
they are found in the line of God’s will, even as the current 


_ of electricity is transmitted through the wire at headquarters. 


~ Moved by the Holy Ghost” (11. Peter i. 21). The holy men 
were used as instruments to be the channels through which 
the Spirit acted in writing the Sacred Records. Being what 
they were, He could use them as He did. They were borne 
along by Himself as a ship is moved by the wind filling the sails. 

“ Praying in the Holy Ghost’ (Jude 20.) As the atmo- 
sphere is the medium by means of which we are able to 


ee converse the one with the other, so as we pray in the Spirit 


we make known our requests unto God. 
~ The anointing oil” is distinctly specified as being such. 
It was specially poured upon Aaron, the high priest. As the ' 


_ oil of anointing was poured upon the priest, so the Holy 


Spirit, as the Sanctifier and as the Consecrator, rested upon 
_ Christ and rests upon believers, qualifying for the service of 
God. The Greek preposition “ ep7,” rendered “‘ upon” and 
“on” in the New Testament, occurs fifteen times. Seven 
times the Holy Spirit is referred to in connection with Christ. 

I. As the Begetter of Christ’s holy humanity, originating, 
hence He is said to “ come wpon’’ Mary (Luke i. 35). 


2. As the Descending One, acknowledging, hence, He was 


seen “ descending upon Him » (Mark i. ro). 


3. As the Heavenly Dove, sealing, hence, He was seen 
“lighting upon Him ”’ (Matthew ; ili. 16). 

4. As the Attesting Witness, confirming, hence, John the 
Baptist was assured that as the Spirit “ abode upon Him,” 


‘ee _ He was the Son of God (John i. 32, 34). Reed 


ae 


ig oh . ODS? mare ee hea : ee 
ca BL a Ir EN ts oH ae aa Ae eae 
Seat Fovs et eee Ansa SNe Ny wats ae 
ON De nd AN ah Phd Sea Gs nt ph Ue 


S507 EMBLEMS oF THE Hoty Sern 


i: ae the Abiding Power, remaining, hence, the Spirit cia ea 
came, but He was also the One remaining on Him (Johni. 33). ae 
6. As the Anointing Grace, sending, as Christ Himself says, EP 
“ The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed i! 
Me to preach the Gospel’ (Luke iv. 18). | ie! 
4. As the Beloved Enabler, qualifying, for God says of Him, E x 
“T will put My Spirit wpon Him” (Matthew xii. 18). ve 
Nine times the Holy Spirit is said to be, or to come, upon 
believers. As the Former of Character, ‘The Holy Ghost 
being wpon him”’ ae ii. 25), was the secret of Simeon being 
‘just and devout.” As the Communicator of Power. Christ’s 
promise to His disciples was, © Ye shall receive power, the 
Holy Ghost coming wpon you” (Actsi. 8). As the ulfilment 
of Promise. The Spirit sat wpon each disciple as they 
waited for the fulfilment of Christ’s promise (Acts il. 3). 


As the Giver of Vision the Spirit was to be poured ‘‘ upon all = 
flesh,’ that the young men might “ see visions” (Acts u. re anaes 2 
As the Opener of Lips, for the promised Spirit was to be “ on a 
My servants..... and they shall prophesy” (Acts ii. 18). 
As the Gift of Love. When Peter spake the word in the house 
of Cornelius ‘‘ The Holy Ghost fell-on all them which heard ~ Se 
the Word” (Acts x. 44). As the Baptism of Grace, as Peter . 
testifies when he recounts what took place in the house of 


Cornelius, which was but a fulfilment of what John the 
Baptist had preached, hence, as he says, ‘ The Holy Ghost 
fell on them” (Acts xi. 15-17). As the Watness Bearer, for as 23 
soon as “‘ the Holy Ghost came on”’ the disciples at Ephesus 
they ‘‘ spake with tongues and prophesied’ (Acts xix. 6). 
As the Consoler in Suffering, for the “ Spirit of Glory and of 

God resteth upon” those who are evil spoken of for the sake 

of Christ (1. Peter iv. 14). : 

The one powerful and practical fact which impresses one, 

as the Scriptures are pondered, is the supernatural power of oa 
the Spirit fitting for service in the daily round of life. — 
The Spirit coming upon and resting upon us is essential in 

order to make us thoughtful for others, to form the character _ 
after Christ, to sweeten the words of our tongues, to fulfil the: 
duties in the home, to make us obedient to the Word, and to 

make our witness effective. I have a good deal of sympathy 


Tue Hoty ANOINTING Om. a eee 


with the reply which was given to a professing Christian who 
_ was greatly concerned about the subject of prophecy, but was 
not careful in bringing up his children. He asked a servant 
of Christ one day : ! e 

“ Pray, sir, what is your opinion of the seven trumpets a 

‘Iam not sure,” was the reply, ‘‘ that I understand your 
question, but I hope you will comprehend mine. What think — 
you of the fact that your seven children are growing up 
without God and without hope? You have a Bible-reading © 
4 o _in your house for your eae neighbours, but no family 
prayer for your children.” 

After all, we need to come back to this simple and 
fundamental fact, there is no royal supply of power known by 
_ those who are nobfonnd on their knees in prayer. One night 
_ the mother of two little girls was away at bedtime, and they 
were left to do as they would. ‘I am not going to pray to- 
night,” said Lilian, when she was ready for bed. ‘“ Why, 
__Lilhan!”’ exclaimed Amy, with round eyes. “I am not 
-- going to. There isn’t any use.’’ So she tumbled into bed. 

Amy knelt and prayed. The little prayer finished and the 
__ light extinguished, Amy crept into bed. There was a long 
ee __ silence; then Lillian began to turn restlessly, giving her 
: pillow a vigorous thump and saying, crossly: ‘I wonder 
_ what is the matter with this pillow >” Then came a sweet 
little voice from Amy’s side of the bed: ‘I guess it’s cause. 
there isn’t any prayer in it.”’ 
A few minutes more of restlessness, and Lillian slipped — 
out of bed and knelt in prayer. Then all was quiet and 
- peaceful, and the two little girls slept. 
Race There will always be restlessness and discontent when 
prayer is wanting, but they who wait on the Lord shall not 
want any good. Praying always we prevail always. 
) Meeting God at the mercy seat, we shall never lack the mercy — 
and might which are only obtained there. 


II. PROHIBITIONS REGARDING THE Hoty ANOINTING OIL. 


The prohibitions were three in number. The holy anoint- ° 
= ing oil was not to be put upon man’s flesh, nor upon a stranger, 
__ neither was anything to be made like to it (Exodus xxx. 32, 33). 


52 EMBLEMS OF THE Hory Spirit. 


1. The anointing oil was not to be put upon the flesh of man 
—‘ Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured.”’ Man’s nature 
has become contaminated by sin and corrupted by iniquity, 
hence, it is always looked upon as being the seat and source 
of evil. The apostle sums it up when he says, ‘“‘ I know that. 
in me, that is in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing.” 
The flesh in relation to the believer is regarded as dead in the ; 
death of Christ, and he is viewed from the Divine standpoint ig 
as not being in the flesh but in the spirit, that is, in the nature 
in which the Holy Spirit takes up His abode (Romans viii. 9). ~ 
The significance of the anointing oil not being put on man’s 
flesh, is, the spiritual having absolute sway to the exclusion of 
the fleshly. Let us look at a few ways in which the Spirit of 
God is not made to serve fleshly ends, for let it be said with 
fear and trembling, there is a possible danger of the most 
spiritual things being perverted to a wrong end, as an 
experienced worker recently said to the writer, in speaking 
of one who up to a certain point was possessed by the Spirit : 
‘Unmistakably the worker was under the power of the 
‘Spirit up to a certain time, and then I could only account | 
for her words and behaviour, as applied to one possessed by a 
a demon, for it was the flesh and not Christ.”’ c 


When the spiritual is not made subservient to the natural, 
the holy oil is not on the flesh. The opening lines of Tennyson’s 
Holy Grail represent to us the monk and knight of the Round 
Table, questioned by the aged Ambrose as to what set him 
on the quest after the Holy Grail :— 


““* Was it earthly passion crost ?’ 
‘Nay!’ said the Knight, ‘for no such passion mine ; 
But the sweet vision of the Holy Grail 
Drove me from all vainglories, rivalries 
And earthly heats.’ ”’ 


The vision of the Christ, through the Spirit's enlightening 
grace, is the one thing to blind to “ all vainglories,” to kill all 
“rivalries,” and quench all “ earthly heats.’’ If we had a 
clearer vision of the real unseen, the unreal seen would not 
attract. The sight of Christ ever blinds to the sights of earth. 


The three blighting influences of the present day are, 


: THe Hoty ANOINTING On a | 53 


— love of ease, love of pleasure, and love of money. Alas! that 
_ any of the redeemed should not obey the Lord’s injunction to 
@ 2 ,.seek first: the kingdom of God.” But ‘this is so, when 
- pleasure keeps away from the prayer-meeting, the love of 
: money kills generosity, and the love of ease makes the lover 
indolent. These shall not prevail, if the Spirit’s anointing is 
upon us, for He will give us to see, as Stephen did being full 
of the Spirit, the beauty of Christ. 


When the Word of God is authoritative in our hearts, and 
we do not follow the voice of carnal reason, then the Spirit ts not 
hindered by man. The late Frank W. Crossley, of Man- 
chester, in recounting the special blessing he received when 
he sought by earnest prayer the anointing of the Holy Spirit, 
says :—‘‘ The beginning of the matter was quite a new appetite 
for His Word. I hungered for it, and ate it up as never 
: exactly before, then to prayer, and then this blessing . . . 
more especially has come now the desire to get other souls 
into the blessing, and the sense of commission and direction 
to speak to them.” 


-. -itvhas always been, and always is, an indication of knowing 
_ the Spirit’s power, when we honour His Word. We cannot 
honour Him without honouring His Word. The truth of the 
_ Gospel is not contrary to reason, but it is above reason, there- 
fore we do not go by reason, but by revelation. Cowper well 
says :— 
“°Tis Revelation satisfies all doubts, 
Explains all mysteries except her own, 
And so illuminates the path of life, 
That fools discover it, and stray no more,’’ 


In reading through the Acts of the Apostles, one of the 
_ -many things which impress and attract is the responsiveness 
of the early Christians to the Word of God. What is the 

S catise: > Is it not found in the words of Actsi.2? There we 

e read, “He through the Holy Ghost had given command- 

ae Ments,” and in the Spirit’s power they kept the command- 

ments. The commandments had come through Him, they 
were to be performed in His power, and 4o Himself. He who 
has only the light of reason has a farthing rushlight to guide 


eg EMBLEMS OF THE HoLy Spirit. _ 


him, but he who has revelation has the light of the sun to : ee 


lighten and cheer, to warm as well as lead. 

The anointing of the Spirit is resting upon us when we do 
not allow spiritual things to serve selfish ends. J am more and 
more convinced that we need to have the flame of a pure 
motive burning on the altar of our hearts. We condemn 


- Judas because he, under the plea of caring for the poor, | 


wanted the money from the sale of the ointment that Mary 
put on Christ. We discountenance Simon Magus because he 
wanted to possess the Spirit’s power for his own agerandise- 
ment. But does not something similar happen when we want 
spiritual blessing for our own selfish comfort ? when we want 
the Spirit’s power for our own purpose ? F. W. Crossley, in 
addressing a meeting once in the West of London, used these 
burning words :—‘' How are we to attract the most people 
into this earthly and yet heavenly paradise ? That is a 
much-vexed question. What, for example, are legitimate 
means? or what is legitimate bait ? I confess I am somewhat 
familiar with the flies and worms in use among fishers of 
men. . . . I believe I know of only one safe kind. We 


must be the bait ourselves, and be willing to be gobbled Hpi 
We must not come decked with gold or costly array:...if 


we accept service in the ranks of the lowly-hearted Master. . . 


Reality first and last. If this is forgotten people will turn on : 


us and say, properly enough, that they would rather be 


real and in hell, than humbugs in heaven. But this, thank 


God, is not the alternative. Asa matter of fact the humbugs 
will all be in hell, and the real folks in heaven. Let us be 


real, i.c., really like the Master, filled with His love and self- 


sacrifice, and we shall soon prove a very catching lot. No 


other bait will be wanted if the Spirit of Jesus as seen in His ~ 


followers.” 


And that Spirit will be seen as the Spirit’s anointing is 


known, for self can have no place where He is in possession, for 
there is only one thing that fills the heart of the one thus 
possessed, and that is what does He desire. ‘‘I charge you,” 
says the bride to the daughters of Jerusalem, “ that ye stir not 
up, nor awake my Love, till He please” (Cant. iii. 5). What 
pleases Him will please us, if we are in fellowship with Him. 


cee Ene HOLY “AROINTING O17 oid oo RR 


| Bg. he anointing of the Spirit is vesting upon us when we do 
2608's work im God’s power and not im the strength of human 
energy. There is a beautiful sonnet addressed by Lowell. to 
_ Wilbham Lloyd Garrison, in which he speaks of his noble 
gs services to suffering humanity as a cleaving to the fortunes 
; of the Weaker part :— 


“He saw God stand upon the weaker side, 
That sank in seeming loss before its foes ; 


therefore he went 
And humbly joined him in the weaker part.” 


: “God always stands upon the side of those who are weak, and 
joins Himself to him who is of the weaker part, for the 
_ weakness is the condition in which His power is found. It 
- was when we were “ without strength’ that Christ died for 
_ the ungodly ; it was to the impotent man that Christ dis- 
displayed His omnipotence in making him whole; it is to 
those who have no might that He giveth power; it was 
_ Gideon’s feeble men who experienced Jehovah’s conquering 
: might ; it was when Jehoshaphat appealed for God’s power 
_ that he got the victory over his enemies ; it was when Daniel 
was helplessly shut up in the lion’s den that he experienced 
_ the deliverance of Heaven; and it was when Paul was weak 
_ that’ God made him ious. Our weakness is always the fit 
displayer of His might. Dr. Maclaren has well said: “ The 
_ Holy Ghost is the only real power for service. Why have we 
Aa hot this power? Because we are not willing to be made — 
: invisible by the investure.” This investure always makes 
Invisible, as in the case of Gideon, we read, “‘ the Spirit of the 
Lord clothed (margin) Gideon” (Judges vii. 34). That 
_ investure was the secret of Gideon’s success. He first con- 
-_quered Gideon, then He conquered through him. 
There are three great principles taught us in the New 
Testament in relation to Christian work: (1) We have to do > 
- with spiritual things, things which are supernatural in their 
_ origin and nature. (2) The spiritual things can only be made 
__ known and conveyed to others by means of spiritual power, 
that power being the power of the Holy Spirit ; and (3) that 
- the Holy Spirit works through spiritual agencies, that is, 


batty 0) Ro ee oe TR ity te Rate SF RN Ss oe ee ee ree ee ee ee TE gee) Cael’ Sule pen a ef RN Bare, © Or ee ey ae Ve, Cn a ce ee ee bh 
Rat ee Nee eta fe eed DL or tka bul 5 2 Ae A TN EAT ied CA a aha RN Sy A aS a A i de ae Ae OP a SM a ead i I WR el. 
rat y : 7 ; ? atl= ya ey seth Bh 74 yt Pe ee FP re ee ey, bee Uae Cree 
ie he ae Fon Pa ret ie 


56 EMBLEMS OF THE HOoLy SPIRIT. 


through those who have spiritual life, and who are in fellowship 


with Himself. 

The anointing of the Spirit always expresses itself in a 
practical way, and not im a false sentimentality. George 
Macdonald represents one of his characters, as having a great 
regard for the clergy, the ‘‘ church,” and certain ritualistic 
observations, but who nevertheless was hard, and cold, and 
cruel, and he rightly says: ‘“ What religion is there in 
being convinced of a future state? Is that to worship 
God? It is no more religion than the belief the sun will 
rise to-morrow is religion. It may be a source of happiness 
to those who could not beleive it before, but it is not religion. 
Where religion comes that will certainly be likewise, but the 
one is not the other.”’ ; 


What he means to say is, that practical religion is the 
act of the life prompted by the heart of love, and not a mere 


assent to certain propositions of truth. The fact is, he who. 


truly believes the truth lives it out truly. 


Too often the foundations of truth get covered up with 
the additions of superstition, like the foundation piles of a 
pier covered with mussels and sea-weed. Fancy such a 
superstitious apprehension of holiness as the following :— 

An Arab dragonman was once asked what constituted the 
sanctity of a certain Moslem saint,— 

‘“ What does he do ?”’ 

“He do nothing ; he very holy man!’ 

There is a spurious holiness which looks at itself with a 
self-satisfied complacency, and criticizes others with a critical 
spirit of censure, such persons need to remember one thing, 
that whenever the Spirit is said to come upon individuals, 
He came upon them to communicate blessing to others, and 
not for the endued to retain blessing for themselves. . 


2. The anointing oil was not to be put upon a stranger. - The 
stranger was one who was outside the pale of Israel’s blessing, 
hence, all Gentile Christians are reminded they were strangers 
to the covenant of promise (Ephesians ii. 12). The stranger 
in a typical sense is one who is unsaved—a stranger to God. 
Very significantly Christ says of the world in relation to the 


Poe) a8 


Gaul ak, Zt GaSe ps Er eo 
Sa Se POR RRO TM Viet pet hee NS, 


PSM AAI We oer 


THE Hoty ANOINTING Om, 57 : - 


epicit “Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth 

Him not, neither knoweth Him ” (John xiv. 17). Godet says : 

_ “It was not owing to any arbitrary action that, on the morning 

igs of the day of Pentecost, the Spirit descended on one hundred - 
nee and twenty persons only, and not on all the inhabitants of 

Jerusalem: the former only had undergone the indispensable 

ae preparation.”’ : 

3. No wnitation was to be made of the anointing oil. fee 
was sacred. The typical meaning is this, there is not to be 
-anything which savours of imitation in the things of God. 
God abhors imitations. When man in the energy of the flesh 
_ tries to imitate and substitute the human for the Divine, it — 
“comes very near the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Sonik 
That sin is attributing to the devil what belongs to the Spirit, 
_ but-this sin is attributing to the Spirit what belongs to the 
_ devil. Briefly put, the following are a few examples of unholy 
_ imitations. How often believers say a thing is of the Spirit 
_ when it is only self-will, A person says he is led of the 
_ Spirit, when all the while he is having his own way. 

In these days we find many taking the name of God as a 
- cover for sin. People profess to be so holy that they cannot 
sin, no matter how deeply they may go into sin. The sin 
Ree - they commit, no matter how devilish and fleshly, is not sin, 

but a product of the Holy Spirit. One such modern cesspool 
_ is bracketed under the name of the carnality of Christ, when 
@ “holy ” women are so lewd and abandoned that they believe 
Christ has illicit intercourse with them, as their minds think 
- Him to the act. 

43 Substituting | human energy in God’s work for the Spirit’s 
_ might and calling it His work, is another form of imitating 
es the Holy Oil. How often we find the organization of man 
. _Tunning things, instead of the operation of the Spirit moving 
things. Meeting in a place of worship and never worshipping 
_ God. Found on bended knees and not bowed in spirit. 

oe Words coming out of the lips which have no response in the 
v4 heart. Let us beware lest we grieve or quench the Spirit in 
_ any way, for while He makes allowance for human infirmity, 
He will not allow the substitutes of man to take the place of 
. ‘Himself, 


hee ay TAM PR Se) ta 
Abe 2 


oy abe ot ee ha See yee a ot ye a Seen! ge ee | ~~ ». Sa oS 
Se ia ee ne Meese alee EO pice SMe IO AS cles per gRen? PAC 


bess ba Mer as ie Bieta AP Leh SS ar alae ta Point 
x ro 5 eta Sr agate, ORE Re, Ope 
SF Aa, Sh 


Bhar S, EMBLEMS OF THE: Hoty Spirir. 


_ JI. THe APPLICATION OF THE Hoty ANOINTING OIL. 


We shall confine this section of our meditation to the 
tabernacle, in its association with the holy anointing oil. 


«And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation 


therewith, and the ark of the testimony. And the table and 
all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the 
altar of incense. And the altar of burnt offering with all his 
vessels, and the laver and his foot ” (Exodus xxx. 26-28). 


The psalmist in speaking of God’s glory in the temple of ~ 


nature says: “In His temple every whit of it uttereth 


His glory ” (margin—Psalm xxix. 9). This is true also of © 


the tabernacle. There is not a single thing but speaks of 
Christ in some way and emphasizes the fact that Moses wrote 


of Him. Take only the furniture mentioned in the verses 


above. The tabernacle proclaims the incarnation of Christ— 
the One Who tabernacled among us ; the ark made of shittim 
wood overlaid with gold, and the gold blood-sprinkled mercy- 
seat with the cherubim and glory speak of His mediatorial 
work as the God-man; the table of shewbread tells of His 
intercommunication between the Father and us as the basis 


of Fellowship, the one with the other ; the lampstand of His ~ . : 
light-giving grace points to His ministry in making known to — 
us what the Father is in Himself; the incense altar of Eis 


gracious and fragrant ministry is typical of Him as the 


Mighty Intercessor in ministering to our need; the burnt 
offering shadows forth the altar of His finished and glorious | 


offering whereby God is glorified and we are accepted before 
Him ; and the laver of His wondrous Word speaks of Him as 
He reveals defilement and then removes It. ae ee 
There are four ways in which we may view the life and 
ministry of Christ. We may think of Him in relation to the 
Father as John does, as the Sent One doing the Father’s will ; 


we may ponder His path as Mark does, as He serves humanity 


in meeting its need ; we may muse upon the kingly worth of 
His beautiful character, as Matthew does ; and we may think 


of Him as the Man anointed with the Holy Spirit going about — 


doing good, as Luke does. We specially think of Him in 
relation to the Holy Spirit, as set forth in the anointing of the 
different vessels of the tabernacle. 


Tue Hory ANOINTING O1. == kg 


There are three ways in which almost every truth of the 
Bible is represented to us, namely, by type, by prophecy, and 
 inits fulfilment. The first is the root of promise, the second 
is the tree of Divine utterance, and the third is the fruit of 
minute fulfilment. I purpose treating this subject in this 
_ threefold way. First, noting the seven vessels enumerated ; 
_ then noting a correspondence between the prophecy of the . 
Holy Spirit.and Christ in the sevenfold delineation given to — 
us in Isaiah xi. 2; then seeing how each has its distinct ful- 
-filment in what is said of the Holy Spirit and Christ in the 
_ New Testament. 

The Anointed Tabernacle— Thou shalt iota the taber- 


- tabernacled among us, and its anointing signifies that He 
_ became what He was by the Holy Spirit. As the Angel said 
to Mary: ‘‘ The Holy Ghost shall come apon: thee; 4 you. 
therefore that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be 
called the Son of God.” The Divine testimony was, ‘‘ The 
Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon Him” (Isaiah xi. 2), and 
- when He was baptized ‘‘ the Spirit ’’ was seen “‘ descending 
-- upon Him” (Mark i. 10). The Spirit as the Spirit of Jehovah 
proclaims God in covenant relationship with man, and 
especially with the Man of men Who came to act on behalf of 
‘men. The covenant of grace, unlike the covenant of works, 
is not between God and man, but between God and Christ, 
He undertakes for us and we take the benefit. As the Scotch 
_body said, ‘‘ God and Christ have undertaken my salvation 
between them and I get the benefit.” His public ministry 
for us began at the waters of Jordan and ended at the judg- 
: ment of the cross ; ; began at the opened Heaven and finished 
in the opened grave ; but not a step did He take till He was 
sealed with the Spirit. None knew so well as He the necessity 
~ for the Spirit’s equipment. ie 
_.. The Anointed Avk— Anoint ie. .. + « ark.of the testi- 
= mony.” The ark is typical of the combination of Deity and 
_ humanity which is found in Christ. The Son of Man and the 
_ Son of God—one Person. There are nine things in connection 
with the ark, the acacia wood, the gold, the mercy-seat, the 
blood, the aloe. the cherubim, the manna, the budding rod, 


one: The tabernacle is typical of Christ as the One Who 


60 EMBLEMS OF THE HoLy SPIRIT. 


and the tables of the law, every one of which has its fulfilment 
in Christ. The incorruptible wood of His peerless humanity, 
the unsurpassed worth of His glorious Deity, the propitiatory 
value of His Divine atonement, the precious blood of His 
finished work, the express image of His effulgent glory, the 
satisfied cherubim of His approving justice, the complete 
fulfilment of His perfect obedience, the budding rod of His 
unique life, and the suitable manna of His adaptable grace. 
The apostle in speaking of God’s estimation of the life and 
work of Christ says, He is the embodiment of the wisdom of 
God (see 1. Corinthians i. and ii.), hence, we are not surprised 
to hear that the Spirit rested upon Him as the “ Spirit of 
Wisdom” (Isaiah xi. 2). Demosthenes says: ‘‘ The end of 
wisdom is consultation and deliberation.’ And Cowper : 


“They whom truth and wisdom lead 
Can gather honey from a weed.” 


These sayings find their confirmation and illustration in Him 
upon Whom the Spirit of Wisdom rested. Christ ever con- 
sulted His Father’s will, and every act was the result of 
deliberation. There was nothing hasty, empty, nor thought- 
less about Him. The consequence was, He ever got the 
honey of blessing from every weed of trial. Take but one 
incident in His life, namely, His temptation in the wilderness. 
““ He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness ”’ ; yea more, 


He was not only led to the temptation, but led all the way 


through, as the Revised Version of Luke iv. I says: ee 
by the Spirit om the wilderness.” We are not surprised He 
met the enemy as He did and routed him so completely. it 
is always the case, when we act after consulting the Word of 
the Spirit and deliberate in His grace. 


The Anointed Table—‘‘ Anoint the table.” The typical 
significance of the table is, the fellowship there is between 
God and man by means of Christ, Who is the Bread of Lite. 
The table of shewbread is so called because “ the bread of 
faces’ was placed upon it for seven days, as though to feed 
God, then the priests ate it in the holy place ; thus Jehovah 
and the priests had communion (Exodus xxv. 30; Leviticus 
xxiv. 5-9). The Spirit as the “ Spirit of understanding ”’ 


ee as THE HoLty ANOINTING OIL. 61 


ci aia 


2 (Isaiah xi. 2) rested upon Christ, hence, He had the capacity. 
to distinguish that which brought satisfaction to His Father 
and met the need of man, for the root meaning of the word 
translated “ understanding ” is to separate or distinguish ; 
as Gesenius says, ‘‘ to discern, to mark, to understand, all of 
which depend on the power of separating, distinguishing, dis- 
__ criminating.”’ Job says : ‘‘ Cannot my taste (margin, ‘“‘ palate ’’) 
discern perverse things ?” (Job vi. 30). ‘ Give Thy servant 
an understanding heart... . that I may discern between good 
and bad” (1. Kings iii. 9) ; in each case the word denotes the 
_ power to separate the precious from the vile. When Christ 
left the place of temptation the first thing that is said of Him 
_ is, “ He returned in the power of the Spirit. 41s and He 
taught” (Luke iv. 14, 15), and one thing He ever did in His 
__ teaching was, not to give in an indiscriminate way the secrets 
of the Kingdom. “To you is given to know the secrets of the 
oS Kingdom ”’ (Matthew xiii. II) He said on one occasion to His 
__ disciples ; and on another occasion He did not commit Himself 
to some who professed to believe on Him, because He dis- 
___ cerned they were not true in their avowal (John ii. 24, 25). 
He was ever ready to meet the need of the honest seeker, 
like He did Nicodemus, as is indicated in the Revised Version 


1 


e of John iii. In the end of the second chapter He did not 
__ commit Himself to those who were not true, but in the begin- 
_ hing of the third chapter we read, “‘ Now there was a man,’’ 


&c. He did commit Himself to him, as is evident in what 
_ He said to him. He was always ready to give to the needy 
__ heart, and He gives in the Spirit’s grace and power. 
If there is one thing more than another to which we need 
to give heed, it is to obey the injunction “to discerningly 
approve the things that differ ” (Newberry, Phil. i. ro) ; and 
oe among the practical things, is this, God appreciates what 
we are more than what we do. “An anxious, earnest Christian 
woman was crying to God for service, and wondering why 
__ she was tied up in her home and unable, like other women, to 
_ go out and reach a broader sphere. Her bright little girl was 
playing beside her and calling in vain to the pre-occupied 
_ mother to help her with her doll, which had lost a finger, and 
_ which to her was the central object in life. Again and again 


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62 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


she came to the mother with her little trouble, and the mother 
fretted and worried with her own spiritual need, pushed her 
off, and at length rather harshly sent her away and told her 
not to bother her, as she was busy with higher things. Wearied 
and disappointed the little one went off alone in a corner and — 
sat down with her broken doll and cried herself to sleep. A 
little while after the mother turned round and saw the little 
rosy cheeks covered with tears and the little wrecked doll 
lying in her bosom, and then God spake to her and said : 
3 ‘My child, in seeking some higher service for Me you have 
ee broken a little heart of Mine. You wanted to do something 
S Ae for Me. That little child was the messenger I sent, and that 
Ree aes little service was the test I gave you. He that is faithful in 
that which is least is faithful also in more, and he that is 
unfaithful in the least is unfit for the greater.’’”’ He answers 
our cry as we answer the cry of others. 


The Anointed Lampstand. The anointed lampstand is 
typical of what Christ was and the testimony He bore, in the © 
power of the Spirit, as the Light of the world. The light from 
the seven-branched lampstand was the only light in the holy _ 
place. It was sufficient to reveal the glories of that holy 
place, and the beauty of the furniture therein. We read that — 
a “whatsoever maketh manifest is light ” (Ephesians v. 13), 
ote and Christ was ever doing this. No one can read through His 
life without being impressed with the shining forth of His 


glory. : 3 
His works manifested His almighty power. Death yields _ 


its prey, the sea owns His sway, demons obey Him, and none 
can say Him nay when His mandate is issued. 


His words manifested His Divine origin. He spake as 
never man spake, for the simple reason He was more than 
man. 


His humility was manifested in His absolute fitness for 
the exalted position of the throne of glory, for He alone is 
qualified to occupy the highest place who has first served in 
the lowest. 3 


His compassion was manifested in His glorious mercy. 


_ Tue Hoty Anorntine Or. | 63 


ea Mercy’s highest function is to meet the need of the most 
abject and destitute, and surely He did this. 


fis love manifested His lowly grace. His words about 


Pa the Father's heart throbs for the prodigal, and the home 
_ provision for his need are unveilings of His own acts. He 
_ did what He taught. ae 


fis holiness manifested His beautiful character. He was 
_all-beautiful without because He was all-glorious within. 

He Himself manifested the splendour of God, for He is the © 

_ brightness of His glory. 

_ We do not wonder when we read, ‘‘ The Spirit of counsel ” 


be (Isaiah xi. 2) was upon Him, for the Holy Spirit was the oil 


feeder of His life and testimony. The Hebrew word trans- 
lated “counsel’’ in Isaiah xi. signifies both the possession 


and impartation of counsel. Christ had both. He not only 
had the possession of ‘the counsel of the Lord” which 


“ standeth for ever”? (Psalm xxxiii. Ir), but He was able to 


give infallible guidance to all who sought His aid. The word 
oe translated ‘‘ counsel”’ is rendered ‘“‘ advisement” in calling 
attention to the advice the lords of the Philistines received 
oS regarding David (1. Chronicles xii. 19 ; 1. Samuel xxix. 2-4). 
__No one ever listened to the advice given in the teaching of 
_ Christ but found it true and reliable. John would call down 


fire from Heaven upon some upon whom he looked with 
disfavour, but before he did so he asked his Lord’s advice, 


and at once his fiery spirit is quenched in the rebuke, “ Ye 
_ know not what manner of spirit ye are of.”’ Peter, acting on 
his own authority, cuts off the ear of the servant of the high 
priest. Self-action brings injury to others. Christ’s action 


ever ministers health and happiness. | 
Light ever does one of two things: it attracts or repels. 


_ Many animals and insects love the dark. Christ in His life: 
_ and testimony attracted and repelled. He attracted the 
children, but He repelled the religious professor. Why did 
__. He repel the latter? Because he was untrue. Christ ever 
counsels us that the outer garb of profession will not do for 
the inner worth of grace. Dr. Andrew Bonar says upon the 
- peace offering and the lascivious woman’s action thereto : 
é : _“ Few ordinances were more blessed than these peace offerings. 


+3 i 


64 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy SPIRIT. 


Yet, like the Lord’s supper with us, often were they turned to 


sin. The lascivious woman in Proverbs vii. 14 comes forth 


saying: ‘‘I have peace offerings with me; this day have I 
paid my vows.” She had actually gone up among the devoted 
class of worshippers to present a thank offering and had 
stood at the altar as one at peace with God. Having now 
received from the priest those pieces of the sacrifice that were 
to be feasted upon, lo! she hurries to her dwelling and pre- 
pares a banquet of lewdness. She quiets her conscience by 
constraining herself to spend some of her time and some of 
her substance in His sanctuary. She deceives her fellow- 
creatures, too, and maintains a character for religion, and 
then rushes back to sin without.’ Is there nothing of this in 
our land? What means Christmas mirth after pretended 
observance of Christ being born? What means the sudden 
worldliness of so many on the day following their approach 
to the Lord’s table ?. What means the worldly talk and levity 
of a Sabbath afternoon or evening after worship is done ? 

As Christ was able to be all He was because enabled by the 
Spirit, as He says, ‘‘ The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,” so 
let us be energized in that same power. Mulock says, ee 
loving and you will never want for love ; be humble and you 


will never want for guiding.” This is perfectly true, but there @ 


is something before these effects, and that is the great cause ; 
hence, we would say, ‘‘ Be in the love of the Spirit, that you 
may be loving, and in His grace of humility, that you may be 
humble.”’ | 

The Anointed Incense Altay—* Anoint ... . the incense 
altar’ (Exodus xxx. 27). The incense altar is typical of 
Christ in the excellence of His person as our great High Priest, 
as He acts in His intercessory ministry at the right hand of 
God. But there is a sense in which it may be applied to 
Christ as the Anointed of God in His life, as He went about 
doing good (Acts x. 38). His life was one hallowed bene- 
diction, and went up to God as a sweet-smelling savour. The 
secret of that life is found in ‘‘ the Spirit of might” (Isaiah 
xi. 2) which rested upon Him. The maxim of the world is 
might is right, and this too often means might setting on one 
side the right. With Christ might was to do good. He had 


" i _ THe Hory ANOINTING Om. 65, 


the might to do the right. How significant are the words, 
“ He went about doing good.” Shirley says :-— 
“Only the actions of the just 
Smell sweet and blossom in the dust.” 
The actions of the Just One were ever sweet and nioscomnek 
_ We have only to follow one of the many lines of His actions, 
and that is to mark the references where He is said to be 
“moved with compassion.” The loathsome leper stirs His 
healthful compassion to touch him with the touch of His 
cleansing life ; the weeping mother calls forth His sympathetic 
compassion, and He gives the dead son back with His resur- 
rection life to comfort her; the hungry multitude urge Him 
to supply with His ae compassion the bread which 
satisfied their need ; the sightless men, with their urgent cry, 
led Him to go to them with His powerful compassion, which 
. | __ He exercises as He opens their eyes ; the prodigal in his pain 
and penury causes Him to act with intense compassion as He 
__ hurries with quick steps to meet him; the sinning woman 
_ condemned by men excites His forgiving compassion, for He 
assures her He does not condemn her; and the excited 
publican, hiding in the sycamore tree, makes His arresting 
compassion seek his salvation. 
_ There is, as Goldsmith says, ‘“ the luxury of doing good.” 
He who does good to others brings more and most good to 
: himself. Two ragged boys, barefooted, were going along one 
of the streets of New York. One was perfectly happy over a 
__ half-withered bunch of flowers which he had just picked up. 
“I say, Billy,” said he, ‘‘ wasn’t somebody real good to drop 
_ these posies just where I could find them? And they’re so 
__ pooty and nice. Look sharp, Billy, mebbe you’ll find some- 
thing bineby.” Presently the boy exclaimed: “ Oh, jolly, 
_ Billy, if here ain’t ’most half a peach! And ’tain’t much 
dirty, either. °Cause you hain’t found nothin’ you may bite 
first.” Billy was just going to take a little taste of it when 
_ his companion said: “Bite bigger, Billy. Mebbe we'll find 
_ another fore long.’ That boy had a kind heart, and he 
_. showed his goodness in his generous kindness. We can do 
something, for is not the poor world needing the Bread of 
Life? We are sure of this, anyway, if in obedience to our 
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66 | ( _ EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


Dora we give the blessed food of the Gospel that whether it 
is received or not, we are in Him a sweet-smelling savour. | 

The Anointed Altar of Burnt Offering. The altar of burnt 
offering is typical of Christ in His devotion to the Father's 
will, even unto death. The six offerings are unmistakably 
types of Christ in His life and death. The following words 
sum up: manifestation, substitution, redemption, com- 
munion, consecration, and joy. 

Manifestation. The meat offering, proclaiming Christ in 
the purity of His nature. . 

Substitution. The sin offering, speaking of Christ’s 


enduring the wrath of God as the Sufferer for sin. 


Rédemption. The trespass offering, typical of Christ Who 
died for our sins, that we might be Tekease from their guilt 
and government. 

Communion. The peace offering, setting forth how the 
fellowship severed by sin is restored by means of the death of 
Christ. 

_ Consecration. The burnt offering, Feaneaae Christ as 
He delighted to do His Father’s will, and thus brought delight 
to Him, as He glorified Him on our account. 

Joy. The drink offering represents Christ in the joy of 
His heart doing the will of God, and the joy God found in the 


death of His Son, for wine rejoiceth the LC of God and man — : ae 


(Psalm civ. 15). 

We are told that Christ “through the Eternal Spirit 
offered Himself without spot to God (Hebrews ix. 14). Ponder 
the last two words, “‘ to God,” for they explain the Godward 
aspect of the work of Christ. Browning in one of his poems 
makes Christ say, as He proclaims one aspect of His work to 


Eve :— 

‘* And shall your sins 
Have sunken to all Nature’s heart from yours, 
The tears of My clean soul shall follow them 
And set a holy passion to work clear, 
Absolute consecration. In My brow 
Of kingly whiteness shall be crowned anew 
Your discrowned human nature. Look on me 
As I shall be uplifted on a cross 
In darkness and eclipsed and anguished dread, 
So shall I lift up in My pierced hands.” 


Pee: a Ec erate se Sea 


eh 4 


ie Hovy ANOINTING OIL. 67 


- the dominator of hell, but He lifts up to the delight of Heaven. 
He places the believer in the unsullied light of Heaven and 
“makes him to be as He is. Hawker has well said: “The 
_ Christian should dwell at the cross as one who has passed 
ei _ through it, not as one who hopes to be saved by. it. It is 
- from the fields of the promised land that we regard the dark © 
- depth of this Jordan ; but the more steadily we gaze the more _ 

~ clearly do we understand the perfect completeness of our 
salvation, and the fearful cost at which it was gained by the 
Son of God. . The crucifixion is the great event of this 
world’s os the only one which reveals the whole character 
of God; the most awiul, the most blessed; the sharpest 
sword of justice there glitters in the brightest Beane of love.” 
The Christ of sacred prophecy says: ‘‘ The Spirit of 
ws pcoetee (Isaiah xi. 2) should rest upon Him. The Spirit 

as “the Spirit of knowledge” acts upon Him from God, | 
| cee Him do His will, and acts through Him to others that 
fe “aH too, might ene the Divine purpose. This is aptly 
_ seen in the last prayer of Christ for His disciples, when He 
says, “This is life eternal to know God and Jesus Christ, 
_ Whom He hath sent,” and to know Him, as the One Who 
glorified God on earth. To know Him is to possess the 
_ panacea to meet every ill in life, to have the key to unlock 
_ every difficulty, to hold the helm to guide the bark of our 
‘ being through the shoals of temptation, to possess the fest 
__ by which every action is to be tried, to have a lubricator to 
_ oil the wheels of service, to have a supply to meet every 
= emergency, and to have a harmonizer which ever feeds the 
heart with joy. Bishop Fisher expresses what it is to know 
_ Christ and God in the sense indicated. When he came out of 
the Tower of London and saw the scaffold on which he was 
_to be beheaded, he took out of his pocket His Greek Testament, 
~ and, looking up to Heaven, exclaimed : “ Now, O Lord, direct 
to some passage which may support me through this awful — 
_scene.”” He opened his Testament and his eyes alighted upon 
the words, “‘ This’is eternal life.’ He instantly closed it and 
3 said, sf Praised be the Lord, this is sufficient for me and for 


eine PRE CE: ve Speen 


et means of His wat hands He not only throws back 


68 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy SPIRIT. 


The Anointed Laver. The laver is typical of the Word of | 


God in its cleansing power. When the Holy Spirit speaks of 
the purpose of Christ in loving the Church He says, “ Christ 
loved the Church and gave Himself for it, that He might 
sanctify and cleanse it with the washing (margin, R.V., 
“laver ”’) of water by the Word” (Ephesians v. 25, 26). The 
laver is not only typical of the written Word, but also of the 
Living Word. Both the written Word and the Living Word 
are called ‘‘ the Word of God.” The anointed laver specially 
speaks of Christ as the One Who, in the power of the Spirit, 
was the living expression of all that is found in the Scriptures. 
Christ’s action and attitude regarding the Word of God are 
most marked. He treated it reverently, He obeyed it 
thoroughly, He followed it fully, He vested upon it implicitly, 
He loved it supremely, He kept 2 faithfully, and reproduced it 
constantly. The Spirit of the “fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 
xi. 2) was ever the spring of all His actions. “ The love that 
fears, and the fear that loves,”’ were the beautiful textures 
which were woven into all the life of Christ. 

There is a remarkable Scripture in Hebrews v. 7 which 
refers to Christ’s fear. It says: ‘‘ Who in the days of His 
flesh, having offered up prayers and supplications with strong 
crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him out of 
(margin) death, and having been heard for His Godly fear ”’ 
(R.V.) The flame of fear fed by the fuel of love was ever 
burning on the altar of Christ’s heart. There was no such 
thing as tormenting fear with Christ, but there was the 
subjective fear of service lest He should fail in fulfilling the 
work of His Father, hence, the constant retirement in prayer ; 


and there was the filial fear of affection, lest as the Son He © 


should fail to delight in the will of God when called to suffer 
in the agony of Gethsemane, hence, His strong crying and 
tears. Oh, for a like fear as we work out our salvation, for 
we are called to do it ‘‘ with fear and trembling.’ We too, 
like our Lord, must fall back upon Divine resources, for if we 
would have the Spirit to work in us to will and work of His 
good pleasure we must work with Him in earnest prayer and 
an intense faith. | 


Syllabus of : 
The Anointing as an Emblem of the Holy Spirit. 


“ As for you the Anointing ”—I. Anointed to honour— 
“ah “ Expedient” versus “‘ profitable ’”—‘ The Support ”—II. 
Anointed to sanctify—The Holy One makes holy—vViolets 
from Santa Barbara—III. Anotnted to minister— Minister 


ee unto Me,” &c.—The priestly word for service in the New 


Testament—The character and comprehensiveness of priestly 
service—Moule on “ worship ’—IV. Anointed to see—Spirit’s 


Sn thorough work—‘“ Touch up. or a.“ burn off ?7-—" Blepo ”’— 


Consequence of the Anointing—V. Anointed to know— 
“ Chrisma”’—Seven “‘ we knows ’’—Shakespeare on the bane 


ce of ignorance and the blessing of knowledge—VI. Anointed to 
_ do good—A triple designation—Obtainment, retainment by 
-__ maintainment—Richard Cecil’s prescription—Herbert’s say: 


ang— VII. Anownted to stand—Meaning of “ stablisheth ’?— 
Five things the Anointing makes stedfast—“ Stand fast, 


Craig Ellachie ”—VIII. Anointed to rule—The Anointing One 


in the heart—The difference in the two men—IX. Anointed to 


_-receive—God’s anointed got the best—Minister in Brooklyn— 
_ 'Vinet’s illustration—What George Miiller did—X. Anointed 
i. © to save—Seven words of command—Luminary of character— 
f= Holding forth ”’—* Snatching ’’—‘‘ Saved by the hair of 
__ his head ”’—The Spirit of Brainerd and Alleine—XI. Anotnted 
Hee for healine—Does God heal sickness now ?—Reasons why we 
oe may expect healing—The woman from Perth Amboy—XII. 
Anointed to preach—The Jubilee—The devil in a pulpit— 


Result of Spirit’s working—‘“ Lapsed masses”’ or a lapsed 
_ Church ?>—XIII. Anointed for victory—Peter before and after 
_ Pentecost—XIV. Anointed to die—Mary and Judas—Charles 


. : Kingsley on selfishness—What George Miiller saw the brother 
__ lacked—The Anointer and the Anointing—Two men at St. 


as - Louis—House filled with the odour. 


69 


ree 
« 


THE ANOINTING. 


HERE is so much said about anointed persons and 


things, which may be taken to typify the Spirit's grace 
and work, that it is profitable to meditate further upon the 
topic in a separate study. ae 


“ As for you, the Anointing” (1. John ii. 27, R.v.), so says — 
the Spirit in calling attention to the special privilege and 


responsibility of those who are His recipients. The prac- 
_ ticality of the truth is clearly indicated and enunciated in the 
purpose for which different things and persons were anointed. 


I. ANOINTED TO HONOUR. 


One of the many things that God did for Israel, as stated — 


in Ezekiel xvi. 6-15, is, “I anointed thee with oil”; and 
Satan in his privileged position before his fall is called ‘=the 
anointed cherub ” (Ezekiel xxviii. 14). Among other things 
the Psalmist recounts of the Lord's doings for him, is, “ Thou 
-anointest my head with oil” (Psalm xxiii. 5); and the Lord 
had to reprove Simon for his want of courtesy when com- 
mending the woman of the city, ‘‘ My head with oil thou 


didst not anoint, but this woman hath anointed My feet 


with ointment” (Luke vii. 46). Jehovah has honoured 
Christ in anointing Him with the oil of Gladness above His 
fellows (Hebrews i. 9). | 

There are two things we need, namely, we need the atone- 
ment to save, and the anointing to sanctify. Christ said it 
was “expedient”? that He should go away, otherwise the 
Comforter would not come (John xvi. 7). It was not a matter 
of expediency, but of profit. The Greek word rendered 
“ expedient”? would be better rendered “ profitable.” The 
word is a compound one, made up of the primary preposition 
“sun” signifying union, and “ phero”’ a primary verb 


meaning to bear, thus ‘‘ swnphero”’ means to bear or bring 


Oe 


Sorry Ha ee 


<P HE ANOINTING. 


O toretner Renee to be Sean The word is translated — 
“brought together” in Acts xix. 19, ‘‘ good’”’ in Matthew. 
xix. 10, “‘ better” in Matthew xviii. 6, and “ profitable’? 

_ Matthew v. 29, 30. The profit of Christ’s going away and the - 
bestowment of the Spirit in consequence, is manifold. His 
going away, was, by the way of the Cross, the triumph of His 
resurrection, His ascension to the throne, and the Father’s 
_ presence ; and the result would be the Sriit S ministry i in the 
making of Christ’s death the death of sin, the causing us to 
___ know the victory of His resurrection, and the consciousness 
of the ascended throne life in fellowship with the Father. 
& _ Honoured indeed are those who have ‘‘ the Support,” as 
~ Godet translates the words “ the Comforter.”’ To have Him 
te with us as the Divine Companion, and within us as the 
_ Dynamic Consecrator, is to have ample and abiding support. 


II. ANOINTED TO SANCTIFY. 


‘ Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the Taber- 
nacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them” ; and 
he also anointed Aaron and He sons to “ sanctify ”’ es and 
_ them (Leviticus viii. 10-12, 30) ; and of believers in Christ it 
is said, “ Ye have an unction (an anointing, R.v.) from the 
_ Holy One” (1. John ii. 20). As the holy anointing oil made 
_ everything holy which it touched, so the Holy One is the One 
Who makes holy. We have no inherent holiness. We are 
holy as we are possessed by the Holy Presence. We are holy 
_ in His holiness, loving in His love, strong in His strength, 
Order i in His tenderness, patient in His patience, calm in His 
_ peace, and consecrated in His consecration. Get out of touch — 
with Him by neglecting prayer, ang the fragrance of His 
‘presence is wanting. 
[picked up a small note hoolksone ae and as I opened it 

on a delightful fragrance of violets greeted me. I could not 
think at the moment how the book could smell so sweet, then 
_I remembered a friend had given me some violets at Santa 
Barbara, on the Pacific Coast, and I had pressed some of 
them between the leaves of the book. J also sent some of 
_ the violets in a letter on a journey of 7,000 miles to England, 
and nearly a year after the friend said, “I have kept those 


72 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


violets in my handkerchief box, and they still shed forth their — 


fragrance.” Thus the things which the violets touched were 
made like themselves, sweet. So the Spirit imparts His 
character to those who are permeated by His holiness and 
sweetened by His grace. 


III. ANOINTED TO MINISTER. 


Of Aaron and his sons it was said: “ The anointing oil of 


the Lord is upon you”’ (Leviticus x. 7). The various things 
which Aaron and his sons were to do typify what believers 
are called upon to do in the exercise of their holy priesthood. 
The ‘‘ priest who was anointed” is continually referred to 
(Leviticus iv. 3, 5, 16; Numbers iii. 3) as the one who had 
the right to act ; and only those who are made priests through 
faith in Christ have the true qualification to worship God, 
whether it be in sanctified praise or in religious service. 
Continually we read in the Book of Leviticus “ The priest 
shall.’ No less than over a hundred times does the sentence 
occur, and these do not include the equivalent expression, “ he 


shall.” 
Further the Lord says of Aaron and his sons: “‘ Thou... 


shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, 


that they may minister unto me in the priest's office” 
(Exodus xxviii. 41). The Hebrew word rendered * minister ”’ 
is a primary one, and means to attend as a menial or a 
worshipper, and as such to contribute, to minister, to serve, 
and wait on another. Many are the suggestive and typical 
--associations of the word. The priests were elected, clothed, 
consecrated, and anointed to minister unto the Lord, as He 
Himself frequently says—‘‘ Minister unto Me in the priest’s 
office”? (Exodus xxviii. I, 3, 4, 41} XXIX. I, 44; XXX. 30; 
xl. 13, 15). They were not to minister to themselves, nor to 
the office, but to Jehovah Himself. The priests were to 
minister ‘‘ before the Lord,” that is, in the consciousness of 
His holy and hallowing presence (I. Chronicles xxiii. 13) ; 
they were to minister “ in the name of Jehovah,” that is, under 
His authority and as He Himself would act (Deuteronomy 
xviii. 5, 7) ; and in their work the priests were called to wash 
themselves before they came near to the altar of burnt 


THE ANOINTING. Be Aedes 73 


eae une XXX. 20), indicating that cleansing is a prelude 
to worship. All these have their counterpart in the pase tee 
of believers. 
When we turn to the New Testament we find the same : 
thing is emphasized. There are two main ideas embodied i in 
two different associations, namely, there is the service of the 
slave ; and there is the service of the baie os -In each 
of. the ne, eS the words “ ministry,” 
fur service,” Serves andy “worship” are all relative, and 
Jaa _ speak of priestly service done to the Lord. It will be Absoncad 
that the association of these sentences of Holy Writ touch 
‘ yy every part of our life, Godward, selfward and toward others. 
mesich 4 ministry in its priestly worship is a body-presented 
_ ministry, for to present our bodies to the Lord is our “ reason- 
- able” (spiritual) service (Romans xii. I) ; itisa God- ate. 
_ ted ministry, for His demand is “ Him only shalt thou serve’ 
_ (Matthew iv. 1 Luke iv. 8) ; it is a love-rendered ministry, 
for we are to “ serve Him without fear” (Luke i. 74); itisa 
_ Christ concentrated ministry, as Paul expresses it, ““ Whom I 
or serve” (Acts xxvii. 23); it is a pure-conscience ministry, as 
the apostle oud testify, “ God, Whom I serve... . with 
pure conscience’ (11. Timothy i. 3); it is a saints- -helping 
_ ministry, for we are to ‘‘ minister’ to each other in spiritual 
Pied carnal things (Romans xv. 27; «. Corinthians ix. Eat; 
Beene 3 li. 17); and it is a God-pleasing ministry, for we 
! " to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear ”’ 
s (Hebrews xi. 28). It will be noticed there is no talk in this 
: priestly service, but there is continued practice. The question 
© naturally arises, who is sufficient for these things ? The Spirit 
ie Says those who answer to the true circumcision are those who 
= glory i in Christ Jesus, who worship God in the Spirit, and have 
no confidence in the flesh (Philippians iii. 3). 

_ “ Worship God in the Spirit,” or as Dr. Moule gives it and 
| “comments : “ We who by God’s Spirit worship, doing priestly 
a “service in a spiritual temple in a life, love and power, which 
is ours by the presence of the Holy Spirit.’”” In His power 
alone is it possible for us to give to the Lord such a ministry. 
Fa Without the anointing there cannot be the worshipping 
which i is potare to the Lord. 


74 EMBLEMS OF THE Hoy SPIRIT. — 


IV. ANOINTED TO SEE. 

Christ’s solemn counsel to the lukewarm Church of 
Laodicea was, ‘‘ anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou _ 
mayest see” (Rev. ii. 18). The word anoint, “‘ egchrio,” is a 
compound one, derived from “en,” which means in, and 
“ chrio,” which means to smear, hence, its meaning to rub in. 


A mere placing on is not sufficient, there must be a rubbing 


in—a thorough work. No half measures will suffice, there ae, 


must be a drastic and definite act till the shortsightness 1s 
removed. Contact with the Spirit is the only remedy for 
the blindness which is born of self-complacency and self- 
sufficiency. A pastor, who had been a coach-painter, was 
once relating his experience, how the Lord dealt with him in ~ 
searching him to the very foundations of his being ; and in 


the course of his testimony said: “‘I used to be. 1a: coach=3 


painter, and when the people used to bring their buggies to 
be renovated, we would ask them, ‘ Do you want a touch up 
and a varnish, or a burn off and a thorough job.’ So when 
the Holy Spirit dealt with me in a very definite way He made 
a thorough job of it. There were no half measures.” Such 


a work means a smarting of soul, a humbling to the spirit, Ae 


and prostration in the dust to self, but it leads to the mount 
of vision, where we can see God. 


“ That ye may see.” The word rendered ” see; blepo = 


is variously rendered, namely, ‘ take heed,” ‘‘ beholdest,”’ 
Hook i saw, Seej) users: beware,” “ 
“regardest.” Let us weave into the texture of our study a 
few Scripture sentences where “ blepo ” is found, as illustrating 
how the Spirit works by means of the loom of His Word to 
bring home to us the outcome of His holy anointing. Anointed 
by the Spirit we shall see the glorified man at God’s right 
hand, which shall make us exclaim, “We see Jesus’ (Hebrews 
ii. 9). Anointed by the Spirit, we shall estimate the seen 
unreal and the real unseen at their true value, and we shall 
say, ‘‘ the things which are not seen are eternal’’ (11. Cor. 
iv. 18). Anointed by the Spirit we shall apprehend the 


possibility of falling and thus avoid the probability of it by — 


obeying the word, ‘‘ Let him that thinketh he standeth, take 
heed lest he fall” (1. Corinthians x. 12). Anointed by the 


perceive,” and 


Ee, So ta 


rai 4 eu 
THE ANOINTING. - eran RS s 


nat) we shall pate ieee by vigilance and prayer in 
Tesponse: to Christ’s injunction, ‘‘ take ye heed, watch and 
pray” (Mark xiii. 33). Anointed by the Sai we shall 
__ know the evil of a heart of unbelief, and thus “‘ take heed” 
lest there be in us an evil heart of unbelief (Hebrews iii. 12). 
_ Anointed by the Spirit we shall be conscious of the weakness 
= of ourselves and when we “ behold” a mote in a brother’s 
eye, be quick to discern it is but the reflection of the beam 
In our own eye (Luke vi. 42). Anointed by the Spirit we shall 
be alert to look after the inner sphere of our spiritual life and 
ee thus  “ look to ourselves”? (11. John 8). Anointed by the 
: ‘Spirit we shall not be discouraged by our weakness for we 
shall “ see our calling ” that God takes our weakness for the 
_ display of His glory (1. Corinthians i. 27), Anointed by the 
‘Spirit, we shall know we are responsible to have an all round 
life, and thus “‘ see” that we “‘ walk circumspectly ” (Eph. 
- v. 15). Anointed by the Spirit we cannot do other than. 
_ “take heed” to build the right material on Christ the 
_ Foundation (1. Corinthians iii. Io). Anointed by the Spirit, 
we shall ‘‘ beware” of those who would lead us away from 
our Lord and astray from His truth (Philippians iii. 2) ; and 
~ anointed by the Spirit, we shall be careful to keep in the 
_ gathering of the saints and be helpful to others, and this with 
a growing pee. as we “see the day”’ of Christ’s return — 
ae "approaching ” (Hebrews x. 25). 


eM, ANOINTED TO KNOW. 


“Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know 
eral. fain. ... But the anointing which ye have received of 
Him epideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach 
you ; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, 
and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye 
Shall abide in Him ” (1..John ii. 20, 27). The word “ chrisma,”’ 
rendered “‘ wnction”” and “ anointing ’’ in the above Sértynie 
af means to rub with oil, and is typical of the -consecrating 
ee power of the Spirit. The consequence of this anointing is a. 
- spiritual eu into Divine things. With startling abruptness 
ae read, ‘ x6 Sie all things. i He teacheth and thus gives 


76 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy SPIRIT. 


of His teaching are specifically stated. Take but seven of 
the “we know’s,’* by way of illustration. A wonderful 
passage crossed and its proof— We know we have passed 
from-death unto life because we love the brethren”’ (1. John 
iii. 14). No longer in the death realm of sin, but in the Divine 
realm of the Saviour, and the proof of it, love to all the saints. 
A wonderful Person known and His followers—‘ Hereby we do 
know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments ” 

(1. John ii. 3). The companions of the King are those who 
obey His royal behests. The badge of loyalty is the insignia 
of royalty. A consuming passion and conscious assurance. 
“ Hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure 
our hearts before Him” (1. John iii. 19). With the fire of 


love burning on the altar of our hearts, we shall have ignited — 


within us the flame of confidence in the Lord’s presence. A 
mutual abiding and the precursor which brings 1t—‘* Hereby 
we know He abideth in us” (1. John iii. 24). The forerunner 
of obedience brings the believer into the palace of the Lord’s 


presence, and the Lord in His Spirit responds in His power, 


and the result is a personal acquaintance with the Divine. 
A double blessing found in the will of God—‘ If we know that 
He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the 
petitions desired of Him” (1. John v. 15). The hands that 
open the door of heaven's blessing are the hands of confident 
faith and responsive love. A Keeper and the kepi— We 
know that whosoever is begotten of God sinneth not, but He 
that was begotten of God keepeth him” (1. John v. 18, R.v.) 
Christ is the One that was begotten, and the believer is the 
one that is begotten. The Coming One and the conformed 


* There are two different words rendered ‘‘know’’ in John’s Epistle. 
The one signifying the knowledge of a person’s personal observation, 
and the other meaning a personal relationship between the one knowing 
and the object known. When in Los Angeles some time since, I had 
observed the orange groves and the fruit on the trees in their tempting 
beauty and apparent lusciousness; but one day in walking among 
the fruit trees I was invited to help myself to the fruit, which I did, 
and then I knew the difference between a packed orange and a plucked 
one. In the first instance I had the knowledge of observation, but in 
the second instance I had the knowledge of personal acquaintance and 
experience. 


Pa 
Py 
7 
re 


DN poe ae Fee 5 ; 
Arey (hese ee tad 


Sid eae aaa THE ANOINTING. - 77 
 ones—‘‘ We know that when He shall appear we shall be like 
Him” (1. John iii. 2). The expectation of seeing the glorified 
___ Christ and being like Him, shall have its consummation when 
He shall come for His own. oe 
— _ These are but a few of the many things which come to 
_ those who are taught by the Anointing One. Shakespeare 
eaSays 2 
Pag ‘ Ignorance is the curse of God, ~ : 
Knowledge the wing whereby we fly to Heaven.’’ 


@ We may alter the lines to say :— 


To know Christ is the blessing of God, ~ 
For by Him the Spirit leads to God Himself. 


_ VI. ANOINTED TO DO GOOD. 


| The Spirit of God has summed up the life of Christ in the 
as following pregnant word—‘ God anointed Jesus of Nazareth 
_ with the Holy Ghost and with power, Who went about doing 
- good, and healing all that were oppressed with the devil, 
_ for God was with Him” (Acts x. 38). Is there not a sequence 
and a consequence in the way the Word denotes how the Spirit 
Operated in the Man and Servant—Jesus? Character «is 
_ implied in the Holy Spirit coming upon Him. The Holy One 
of God corresponded to the Holy Spirit, the result was 
_“ power,” namely, ability to do; then the climax, “‘ for God 
was with Him.” Character, power, fellowship—character 
like God’s, power in God, and fellowship with Him. Such a 
- Being could do no other than good, and no devil could stand 
| before Him. Like the springtime life He made everything 
glad and glorious, and like a mighty avalanche He swept all 
evil before Him. — 
We cannot, apart from Christ, expect any such blessing 
and to be any such blessing, but we can in Him. The one 
ce glory of the gospel is, God gives what He demands, and then 
commands what He gives. The Spirit was given to Christ 
because of what He was in Himself, the Spirit is given to us 
because of what we are in Him. But on the other hand, is 
_ there not a suggested significance in the association of the 
= Spirit’s power and the doing good? The Cause of the good 
__ done, and the deliverances effected, was the Anointing, but on 


ISN EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


the other hand the retention of the Spirit's power was 


because of the good accomplished. The obtainment of the 


Spirit’s power was essential to overcome the devil’s power, 
and the doing good; but the retainment of the Spirit’s 


blessing was the use of the power bestowed. Many complain — 


they do not retain, well it is because they do not maintain. 

The obtainment is first, then the retainment by the maintain- 

ment. a 
Richard Cecil on one occasion went to see a lady who was 


a great professor, but she was very miserable. He found her 


sitting over the fire. She asked him to sit down, but he 


would not. He said, ‘‘ I will not, I know what is the matter. 


Get up, put on your bonnet, and try and do some good.”’ 
She did as she was told, and she was soon a different woman. 


When she met Mr. Cecil a short time after, she said, ‘‘ Oh, you — 


could not have done me a greater favour than tell me to do 
some good. Good has come to me in doing good to others.” 
Herbert says, ‘‘ Help thyself and God will help thee.” That 
is only part of a truth, God helps us to help others, and when 
we help others we help ourselves. 


VIL. ANOINTED TO STAND. 


“Now he which stablisheth us with you into (margin, 
R.v.*) Christ, and hath anointed us, is God”’ (11. Corinthians 
i. 21). There may be two things indicated here which are 
distinct, but as in the next verse the Seal and Earnest -as 
referring to the Spirit (the seal becomes the earnest) are 
‘intimately connected, so the reason why the saints were 
stablished was because they were anointed, for certainly the 
reason why God anoints is that He may. confirm us. 


The word “ stablisheth”” means to make firm, stedfast. © 
It is derived from a word to be stable, and this again is derived 


Tae I NO en ee eee 

* The Greek preposition els (into) is more expressive than €V (in), 
even as aplant may be in the ground and yet need to be planted 
into it. In my garden in Bristol | observed one day one of the rose 
trees was looking sickly. Upon examination I found the roots were 


not well into the ground, I immediately took it up carefully and 


imbedded it into the ground.  Rootage is essential to foliage, flower 
and fruit. — 


i 
i 


tee a ns en 


et Re er 


Sie Se oll eek aS Ee. - 


ony the base of a ferd which is es iG our “ basis.” 
2 Greek word is “‘ basis,” and is translated “‘ eg a ae Acts 
iii. 7. The word ‘ ' stablisheth ” is rendered “‘ conjirm”’ in 
ate xv. 8, and “‘ established” in Hebrews xiii. 9; and 
‘the word from wich it is derived is translated “ sure,” firm,” 
“tn force,’ and “ stedfast” (Romans iv. 16; Hebrews i iil. 6; 
& ry ier): 
Here again the best commentary on the Bible is 5 the Bible 
tself, Let us work in, like productive soil into the ground — 
of our meditation, the rich loam of God’s truth. The Anoint- 
cs aug will give the confidence of faith, so that we shall hold fast. 
~ “ our confidence stedfast unto the end” (Hebrews iii. 14), and 
i Shins be like a firm lighthouse which shines with steady flame 
amidst all the howling storms. The Anointing will bestow 
the outlook of hope, so that we shall hold fast “ the rejoicing © 
of the hope firm unto the end” (Hebrews iii. 6), and thus be ~ 
dike a betrothed maiden who looks out with ardent gaze for 
the return of him who is the object of her heart’s affection. 
_ The Anointing will give the diligence of love, so that the life is 
- not wanting in the graces which beautify and constitute the 
‘Christian character, thus the “ calling and election ’’ of grace 
will be made “ sure’ (1. Peter i. 10), even as the several parts 
of a chorus make a harmonious whole. The Anointing will 
brace the sinews of testimony, so that its feet will be “ stab- 
_ lished in the faith” of God’s truth (Colossians ii. 7), and thus 


) Anointing wl invigorate the heart 4 consecration by causing 
it to be ‘‘ established with grace’ (Hebrews xiii. 9), and 
; oe cause it to be like a beautiful and fragrant garden. 
Ruskin, in referring to the war- oy of the Can Grant, 


B) 


: the fone surroundings of the Scotch soldier as he thought 
. at his highland - home, says, ‘‘ How often among the delicate 


“* “Tn one of the loneliest districts of Scotland, where the peat : 
“Cottages: are darkest, just at the western foot of the eee which 


: eS or ee Ellachie. It is darkéded by a few pines, and crowned wie: a 
_ flush of heather. It is a type of Clan Grant, and has its influence upon 


_ those Awho Eons to the district.” 


Oe ar u fe THE Axomtine, ie 79 


be like a brave warrior in an impregnable position ; and the _ 


~— Bo ae EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


Indian palaces, whose marble was pallid with horror, and 
whose vermillion was darkened with blood, the remembrance 
of grey rocks and purple heaths must have risen before the 
sight of the Highland soldier ; how often the hailing of the 
shot and the shriek of battle would pass away from his 


hearing, and leave only the whisper of the old pine branches, | 


‘Stand fast, Craig Ellachie!’”’ Our Craig Ellachie is 
Calvary’s rugged mound which ever reminds us of Him Who 
stood amid the storms of Heaven and Hell and Earth for us ; 
and when we would flinch or falter the Spirit reminds us of 


the Captain Who fell in death for us, that we may stand fast | 


and by His power He makes us strong to this end. 


VIII. ANOINTED TO RULE. 


‘They anointed David King over Israel 2 (it, Sab Vass) 


The man of God’s selection was elected by the people to be 
their ruler. A true king is not one who occupies the place 


of authority merely, he has the ability to answer to what the | 


office demands. To have a royal place and palace, and not 
royal power and dignity is to be in a sorry plight and position. 
In the Book of Proverbs, the following are said to be the true 
traits of God’s kings: They are Divinely appointed (Proverbs 
viii. 15), they are haters of wickedness (Proverbs xvi. 12), 
they are righteous in life (Proverbs RVI. 12; 193), they are 
powerful in action (Proverbs xx. 2, 8, 26), dependent on mercy 
(Proverbs xx. 28), friendly to the true (Proverbs xxii. II), 
and considerate of the needy (Proverbs xxix. 14). Let us, 
by the Spirit’s consecrating grace, be true to the appointment 
of grace, haters of evil, right in life, powerful in testimony, 
dependent on Christ, friendly to the upright, and helpers of 
the needy. 

There is one realm where all may rule, and that is in the 
realm of the inner man. The wise man wisely says, Better 
_... he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” 
(Proverbs xvi. 32). When the domain of the inner life is 
ruled there is no difficulty about the outworks of the soul 
and body. For this, there is a needs-be for the strengthening 
of the Holy Spirit that Christ may dwell in the heart (Eph. 


iii. 16). Mark, it is the Christ, the Anointing One, Who is to — 


THE ANOINTING. 7 81 


_ dwell in the heart. We must be ruled if we are to rule. 
_ Christ must dwell in the heart for this. What is meant by 
_ the heart?» The heart stands for the will, hence, the sinner 
has to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and believe in Him with 
the heart as such (Romans x. 9, R.V.) ; the heart stands for 
__ the affection, hence, Paul said to the Philippians regarding — 
their love for him, ‘‘ Ye have me in your heart” (Philippians 
_ i. 7); and the heart stands for the mind, hence, ‘‘ the eyes of - 
_ the heart” need to be “ enlightened ” to understand spiritual 
~ things (Ephesians i. 18, R.V.) When Christ rules in our will to 
: ~ will, in our affection to love, and in our mind to think, the 
~ citadel of our being is fully occupied. 
: _ The difference between trying to rule ourselves and being 
ruled by the Spirit is well illustrated by the following 
incidents. I remember Ned Wright, the converted burglar, 
_ telling me that soon after he was converted one of his old 
- companions challenged him to fight. Ned had to exercise 
S all his will power to keep down the old fighting spirit as he 
_ was taunted and tantalized. At last he exclaimed, ‘I wish 
_ I was only unconverted for five minutes, I would soon give 
you what for!’ The volcano of the smouldering fires was 
_ within, and wanted to flame out in tempestuous outburst. 
edn contrast, I remember seeing a child of God sneered at, 
_ howled at, taunted, and gibed by a lot of young fellows in 
‘New ‘York City. They. did their utmost to provoke him. 
_ All the while the man quietly clapped his hands and smiled 
at his persecutors, exclaiming the while, ‘‘ Bless the Lord! 
a The Lord bless you!’ At last, in utter desperation, one of 
the fellows said to the others, ‘“‘ Come away, what can we do 
with a fellow like that ?”? The smile conquered the scowls, 
and the reason of the smile without was the sweetness within. 
The Spirit of God can conquer us if we are willing to be 
< conquered, and He alone can do it. 
IX. Anorntep To RECEIVE. 


i __. “ Unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing ”’ 
(Numbers xviii. 8). Aaron and his sons being God’s anointed 
ones were privileged to receive and enjoy certain things. We 
have a long list of the things which belonged to God’s anointed 


ry ie de EMBLEMS OF THE Hory SPIRIT. 


ones. Certain of the sin-offerings, trespass-offerings, meat- 
offerings, heave-offerings, wave-offerings, the best of the oil, 
wine and wheat, the first ripe things, the firstfruits of all 
things, and every devoted thing in Israel (see Numbers 


xviii. 9-20). The best of everything was brought to the: 
Lord by the Israelites, and He in turn gave the specified 


things to His anointed ones.* 

May we not say, those who have the anointing of the Holy 
Spirit get God’s best ?. I remember a minister in Brooklyn 
telling me that there came a distinct crisis and epoch in his 
life and ministry when he received the enduement of the 
Spirit for service, and when He received the Spirit as the 
Administrator in his inner life. How many there are who 
keep on a low level experience in the spiritual life when they 
might have God’s best. 


“ God has His best things for the few 
Who dare to stand the test, 
He has His second choice for those 
Who will not have His best.”’ 


Many long for God’s best and try to obtain the same, but 
they go the wrong way about it. They try to detach them- 
selves from the crutches upon which they are leaning, 
or they endeavour to reach an ideal which is too high for 
them, or they struggle to get rid of the grave clothes which 
bind them. The secret of detachment is attachment. — Vinet 


well says, ‘‘ The first thing is to attach oneself, detachment © 


comes afterwards. The chrysalis covering in which the 
butterfly was imprisoned only breaks and falls away when 
the insect’s wings have grown—it is by opening that these 
burst their melancholy integuments. We only detach our- 
selves from the world when we have learned to know some- 


Wale ates RR Ne or 

* How differently many professing Christians act in the things of 
God now. The smallest coin in the realm is put into the collection in 
too many instances. Many of God’s servants who can ill afford it 


have to pay their own travelling expenses when asked to conduct 


meetings. Too often they are treated, as Duncan Matheson once said, 


‘like angels,’’ who do not need a cup of cocoa to warm them on acold 


night, nor money to meet out of pocket expenses and the wear and 
tear of clothes, &c. 


THE ANOINTING. see eas 


: Ging of a beter Till then we are Bit ible of disappoint- 
+ R ment and weariness, which is not detachment.” 

When we receive what the Lord has to give, we do not: want 
~ what the world has to offer. The receptive life is the repro- 
ducing life. ‘‘ Ye shall receive power, the Holy Spirit coming 
upon you.” The received Spirit brought the required power. 
Of George Miiller it has been said, ‘‘ He brought everything to. 
God and God into everything’; and it is when God is in 
~ everything that everything is brought to God. And what 
_ before was never accomplished by our futile efforts and toil, 
‘He now accomplishes. 


oe ANOINTED, TO SAVE. 


“ Thou shalt anoint him to be captain, that he may save 
_ My people” (1. Samuel ix. 16), is the Divine word regarding 
ie the setting apart of Saul as King of Israel. We shall be 
| saved and used as we know the Spirit’s might. ‘‘ The power 
of His might’ (Ephesians vi. 10) is the strength which is 
_ Tequisite in order to put on the armour of God, and “ the 
Lord the Mighty Man of valour” (Septuagint version of 
Judges vi. 12), being with us, who can stand before His 
eee ? | 
_ There is a sense in which we are to save the people. We 
are saved to save. The responsibility of the Lord’s people in 
relation to those who are not His, is eeely enunciated in 
many ways. We should Bae the “ pray” of intercession 
(Matthew ix. 38), the “go” of preaching the gospel Rees 
_ ~XVi. 15), the “look ”’ of compassion (John iv. 35), the “ save’ 
of definite action (Jude 23), the ‘“ shine” of holy character 
(Philippians ii. 15), the ‘‘ holding forth” of the Word of Life 
_ (Philippians i li. 16), and the “‘ pulling” of distinct deliverance 


Let us briefly look at the last three. (z) The “‘ shine” of 
3 Dacia. The word “ shine” would be better rendered 
= é a luminaries,” that is, light-bearers. Shining like stars amid 
- the gloom. It means the woud sees us as nents: The word 
_ is rendered “‘ may be seen”’ in Matthew vi. 5, ‘ “appeared ”’ in 

a _ Matthew ii. 7 and Mark xvi. 9, in speaking of the star that ee 
“-~ wise: ‘men saw and the appearing of Christ to Mary. The 


84 : - EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


character which is luminous with the loving and holy Christ, 
like Christ Himself, cannot be hid. (2) The “ holding forth” 
of Christ. Christ is the Word of Life to hold forth in faithful 


testimony. The attractability of His loving and life-giving _ 


personality is the Only One to draw humanity. The word 
‘‘ ebecho”’ means to hold on, hence it is rendered “‘ take heed” 
_ (1. Timothy iv. 16), to retain, hence it is translated “ stayed” 
(Acts xix. 22), to pay attention, hence it is given “ gave heed " 
and “ marked’’ (Acts iii. 5; Luke xiv. 7), and to offer to, 
hence the meaning in Philippians ii. 16. There is life in the 
Christ we offer. This is the only message to which we are to 
hold, to stay with, to pay attention to, for it alone contains 
the message that is the power of God unto salvation. (3) 
The “save” of “ pulling ””—“ Save with fear, pulling them 
out of the fire’? (Jude 23). This is no light and easy task. 
The word “‘ pulling” means a violent, strenuous, forceful act, 


as the Revised Version indicates—“ Snatching them out of the 


fire. The word is used of a wolf catching and carrying off a 
sheep (John x. 12), of Satan catching away the seed of the 
Word (Matthew xiii. 19), and of the Lord taking away His 
own to be with Himself (1. Thessalonians iv. 17). A sudden, 
forceful and decisive act is meant. In this way it is necessary 
to act when the sinner is in danger of the fire of sin, the fire of 
hell and the fire of God’s wrath. Isaac Marsden was talking 
to a lad on one occasion, who had a ‘“‘ shock of curly hair’. 
The lad was timid and inclined to run away, when Marsden 
put out his hand and took hold of his curly hair and held 


him fast. Meantime he spoke to him of the Christ Who loved — 


him and the devil who dominated him. All the while he 


talked he gently pulled the lad to the communion rails, and © : 


there led him to Christ. He was not only converted, but 
became a preacher of the gospel, and used to often say 
afterwards, ‘Isaac Marsden brought me to Christ by the 
hair of my head.” Oh, for more of such holy work! 
We want the spirit of Brainerd, who said, ‘‘ I care not where 
or how I live, or what hardships I go through, so that I can 


gain souls to Christ.’ Saintly Alleine was of the same 


spirit. He said, “(I am insatiably greedy of the conversion 
of souls.”’ 


no) “ 
CE ee ss 


THE ANOINTING. | | 85 


: The qualification for all this is the unction of the Holy 
-. One. The difficulties should not daunt us, for He can do 
__ what we cannot. When He bids us do, we dare to do all He 
tells us, leaving the results with Him. ae 


XI. ANOINTED FOR HEALING. 


~ Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of 
_ the Church ; and let them pray over him, anointing him with © 
__ oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith shall save 
the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up” (James v. 14, 15). 
_ This is a most controverted passage of Scripture. Some of. 
_ the Lord’s servants say it does not apply to-day, while others 
say it does.* Without touching upon the controversy, we 
may look at the following question, ‘“‘ Have we any Scripture 
warrant or reasons for expecting God will heal sickness ? 
__. Yes, there are several. Because of what the Lord js. He is 
_ Jehovah Ropheca, the Lord that healeth (Exodus xv. 26). 
Bo We may expect the Lord to heal because of what Christ has 


* My friend, B. McCall Barbour, of Edinburgh, gave an all round 
__ view of the subject some time since, in the following :— 
“I. Does God heal to-day ? Yes! (Hebrews xiii. 8). 
“II. Does God always heal? No! (1. Corinthians xii. 9). 
Br “III, What are the conditions for healing? (a) That it is God’s 
_ will to do so; (b) that we are right with Him to receive it. 
: “IV. How does God deliver in sickness ? (a) By removal of it; 
_ (b) by Strengthening to bear it (1. Corinthians x. 13; 1. Corinthians 
e162. xii. 0). 
eae ““V. Does God ever use means? Yes! (Isaiah xxxviii. 21; John 
Ooi G, 11.3 VACtS xix! “id. 1 2:; 1, Timothy v. 23; James v. 14). 
“VI, What is the right attitude of the believer in sickness ? (r) 
_” To say, ‘ It is here ’—face the fact. (2) To ask, ‘ Why is it here ?’ (a) 
_ natural neglect ; (6) spiritual chastisement (Hebrews xii. 6} F— (oe te: 
manifest the works of God (John ix. 3). - (3) To ask, ‘ Lord, what wilt 
_ Thou have me to do?’ (Means or no means—‘ Thy will be done.’) 
__ “ VII. What is the wrong attitude of the believer in sickness ? (1) 
That of ‘ Christian Science,’ which says it does not exist and ¢tries to 
ignore it. (2) That which excludes God from the case—for all that 
_ comes to the believer, who is in His will, happens by God’s permission 
_ (Proverbs iii. 5 6). (3) That which says we must always take means, — 
and shuts out the possibility of God healing apart from means. (4) 
That which says we must never use means ; for God, Who has pro- 
_ vided such, may have many purposes to fulfil for His glory and our 
good in requiring us to use them,” 


86 EMBLEMS OF THE HoLy SPIRIT. 


done upon the Cross. Like every blessing, healing comes 
through the atonement. He has “ borne our sicknesses, as 
well as our sins and sorrows”? (Isaiah lili. 4, R.V., margin). 


We may expect the Lord to heal because of the Spirit's 


- indwelling. The indwelling Spirit is said “to quicken our 
mortal bodies”? (Romans viil. II). Mark, not our dead 


bodies, but ‘‘ mortal bodies.”” Because of the Lord’s promise 


we may expect healing. No plague shall come nigh the 
dwelling of the one who dwells in God (Psalm xci. 10), and He 
says, “‘ The prayer of faith shall save the sick.’ The Lord 
has healed in the past, as we have record in the Scriptures. 
He healed Abimelech, Miriam and Hezekiah (Genesis xx. 17 ; 
Numbers xii. 14; 11. Kings xx. 5, 8), and others in answer to 
prayer. And we may expect the Lord to heal because He is 
doing it. 

There are many questions which arise. Such as, Does the 
Lord always heal in answer to prayer? No. Sometimes the 
Lord takes His servants home by sickness ; and sometimes 
He has compensating grace to give, as in the case of Paul, 


who gloried in his bodily weakness. Would the elders be 


justified in refusing to anoint with oil a sick one who sent for 
them? No, they certainly would not. While conducting a 


Bible reading at a place on Staten Island, I was asked, with a 


others, to anoint a sister who had come from her home in 
Perth Amboy. She had risen from a sick bed with difficulty. 
She was a calm, unemotional woman. I anointed her with 
oil, and then placed my hands upon her head, pleading the 


death of Christ’s atonement. I quietly and earnestly prayed ? 
for her restoration to health. After I had prayed for a short © 


time, I felt as though an electric shock went through my body 
to hers, and like the woman in the gospel, she “ knew” she 
was healed. In other cases, there has been no feeling, and in 
others there has been no apparent answer. The Lord can 
heal, He has healed, He may heal, He does heal, and He may 
not heal. 

Ours not to question why, 

Ours to trust or die. 
He will not meet the speculation of experiment, but He does 
meet the simplicity of expectation. 


ea ay 
ia ae: ome, + 
IG en eM ae aes Oe 


- ae: As that year began on the day of atone (Lev. e 
_ xxv. 9), so the death of Christ is the basis of the good news of 
the gospel (I. Corinthians XV. 3): As the Jubilee was a time 


ae of sin, the grace which enriches through the poverty 
Rus OL ‘Christ’s becomingness in His life and death (11. Corinthians 
‘Vili. 9). As the Jubilee heralded liberty to those who were 


; Paves out of the prison house of sin’s davies into God’s, 
marvellous light (Acts xxvi. 18). | ; 
“Anointed to preach.” An old tradition has it that the 
devil on one occasion was preaching, and one of God’s servants 
detected who the preacher was, and chided him for his 
assumption and presumption, whereupon the devil replied, 
— “ You need not fear, it will do no good for there was no power 
e with it.” A gospel without power is non-effective. Of the 
apostles it is significantly stated, “‘ They preached the gospel 
unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven”’ 
aie Peter i. 12) ; and Paul declares the secret of his on 
Nf ministry was “the effectual working of His power” (Eph. 
_ iii. 7). There are three things which are evident to the most 
casual reader of the Acts of the Apostles, and these are, that 
‘the Word of God was preached, that great opposition was — 
_ raised where it was not received, and there were evident 
results of the Spirit’s working. Trace through the Acts for 
~ proof. Acts ii. 41, ‘‘ three thousand” saved; Acts iv. 4, 
re “five thousand ” believed ; Acts vi. 7, the disciples multiplied 
and a great company of the priests were obedient to the 
~ faith ; Acts viii. 6, the multitudes gave heed to the gospel ; 
_ Acts ix. 35, “all” that dwelt in Lydda and Sharon turned to 
_ the Lord; Acts x. 44; all in the house of Cornelius received © 
the Brink through Peter’s ministry ; Acts xi. 21, “a great 


88 EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Sprrir. 


number believed ’’; Acts xiii. 44, the whole city gathered to 
hear the Word of God ; Acts xiv. 1, a great multitude believed , 
Acts xiv. 21, “‘ many disciples ”’ were made as the effect of the 
preached gospel; Acts xvi. 5, the Churches “ increased in 
number”; Acts xvii. 6, the world was said to have been 
turned upside down by the preaching of Paul and Silas ; Acts 
xvill. 8, people of important position were saved, such as the 
Chief Ruler Crispus and many of the Corinthians; and the 
_ cause of the revival at Ephesus is said to be because the 
' Word of God prevailed (Acts xix. 18-20). Do such facts 
correspond to the life of the Church to-day ? One has said, 
‘‘ We often hear of discussions on the ‘ lapsed masses.’ ” Why 
have the masses of the people lapsed from the Churches ? 
Perhaps the more correct way of putting it would be, Why 
have the Churches lapsed from the masses ? The answer is 
not far to seek, it is because they have lost the driving power 
which alone could keep them abreast of the masses, even the 
baptism of the Holy Spirit. 


XIII. ANOINTED FOR VICTORY. 


“ The yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing ” 
(Isaiah x. 27) is God’s promise to Judah regarding the Oppres- 
sion of the Assyrian. The promise speaks of the power which 
does away with the yoke. The Spirit is the One Who can 
break every yoke. There is no one who better exemplifies the 
difference He can make than Peter, if we ponder what he was 
before Pentecost and after. Before Pentecost Peter was self-— 
authorized, hence he says, ‘‘ I go fishing” (John xxi. 3); after 
Pentecost he was God-energized, as is seen on the memorable 
day when the Spirit took possession of him. In the one 
instance he was like a plank floating on the ebb tide of circum- 
stances, and in the other instance he was like an Atlantic 
liner going against wind and tide. Before Pentecost Peter 
was self-resourceful, as is evidenced by his boastful assertion 
to Christ, when he said, “ Though all shall be offended, yet 
will not I’ (Mark xiv. 29) ; but after Pentecost he was God- 
dependent, for &e confessed to the lame man as to earth’s 
resources he had “ none,” but bade him in the name of Jesus 
_ to rise and walk (Acts iii. 6), In the former case he was like 


____water by “ If it be Thou bid me come to Thee ” (Matt. xiv. 28) 


Tue Ayorntine. 89 


an inflated bladder, but in the latter he was like an electrified 


arm through which the power flowed. Before Pentecost 


Peter was “ If-burdened,” for he greeted Christ upon the 
but after Pentecost he was Scripture-certain, for, on the 
Day of Pentecost, he appealed to what was stated in Holy 


_ Writ (Acts ii. 16-31). He was harried by the hounds of his 
- own reason in the former case, and was harnessed to the 


chariot of God’s truth in the latter. Before Pentecost Peter 


_ Was self-acting, as when he cut off the ear of the servant of the 
high priest (Luke xxii. 50); but after he was Christ-actuated, 
_ as is evidenced in his address before the Council (Acts iv. 8-12). 
In the first instance he was swayed by the impulse of self, but 
_ in the second he was moved by the Spirit of God. Before 
_ Pentecost Peter was cowardly in denying his Lord, but after 
_ he was courageous in the boldness of the Spirit (Acts iv. 13). 

Before Pentecost he was swearing, when he denied his Master 
_ with oaths and curses (Matthew xxvi. 74) ; but after he was 
__ praising God with the rest of the disciples (Acts iv. 24-31). 
_ Before Pentecost he was warming himself at the world’s fire 


(Luke xxii. 55) ; but after he had the zwner jive of the Spirit’s 


. - baptism (Acts ii. 14). 


What a difference! The Spirit’s anointing makes all the 
difference. It means courage instead of cowardice, con- 
tentment instead of murmuring, triumph instead of defeat, 


i love instead of jealousy, prayer instead of prayerlessness, — 
progress instead of stagnation, testimony instead of dumb- 
ae ness, usefulness instead of sloth, cleanness instead of defile- 
Bos ment, holiness instead of worldliness, and Christ instead of 
ee self, 


fe. XIV. ANOINTED TO DIE’ 


Mary of Bethany was the only one who grasped the fact 


____ that Christ came into the world to die. Doubtless she had 
learned the secret while sitting at the feet of Christ, and the 
_ consequence was she got and preserved (as the word “ kept ”’ 
- in John xii. 7 means) with careful attention the box of costly 
ointment, and by its use anticipated His burial. Godet in 
ae commenting on Mary’s act and Judas’s attitude has well said, 


+ 
: 
tin 

iy 
= 

4 

Te 
¢ 


go EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


“Jesus ascribes to the act of Mary precisely that which was 
wanting to the view of Judas, a purpose, a practical utility. 
‘It is not for nothing, as thou chargest her, that she has 
poured out this ointment. She has to-day anticipated My 
embalming.’’’* The loving heart purpose was wanting in 
Judas, while Mary was having fellowship with her Lord.+ 
While there was no reference to the Spirit’s anointing in 


Mary’s act, nor typical significance in her loving expression, — 


yet we may take it as illustrating the Spirit’s work as enabling 
the believer to die to the old life. It is not natural to die to 
the old life. Charles Kingsley significantly said, “If you 
wish to be miserable think about yourself, about what you 
want, what you like, what respect people ought to pay to 
you, what people think of you, and then to you nothing will 
be pure. You will spoil everything you touch; you will 


make sin and misery for yourself out of everything which — 


God sends you; you will be as wretched as you choose.”’ 
This is one of the worst phases of selfishness,—the rest will go 
with this,—and the one to which we need to die. The positive 
unction of the Spirit will deliver us from the poisoning 


‘uncleanness of the self. After all the lack of the positive 


grace is the open door to admit all of self. “ What do I most 
lack in your judgment ?” said a brother to George Miller. 
He promptly replied, “ Your greatest lack is the grace of 
graciousness.” The grace of the Spirit is the cure for grace- 
lessness. 

The cure for every ill is the incoming of the Spirit in 
power, enthroning Christ in the heart. ‘‘ Strengthened with 


BP ads tas 09 ata SN a cad Dre aie natal Bao ae CE Sa 

* “She is come beforehand to anoint My body to the burying ”’ 
(Mark xiv. 8). 

+ What a series of contrasts we have between Mary and Judas. 
She had a box of precious ointment, he had a bag of parsimonous greed ; 
she gave three hundred denaries for her gift, he sold his Master for 
30 pieces of silver; she had a loving heart, he had a coveteous one , 
he complained of her ‘‘ waste,”’ but he was a ‘‘ son of waste ’’ (the word 


‘perdition,” in John xvii. 12, is the same as “‘ waste ”’ in Mark xiv. 4) ; 


he professed to care for the poor, but she cared for her Lord; the 
ointment she gave was “ very precious’ (Mark xiv. 3), his complaint 


was very provoking; her name, like the ointment, is fragrant, his e 
betrayal-is obnoxious; and she had kept the spikenard in loving — 


anticipation of Christ’s burial, he carried the bag to his discredit. 


eg 


ae ta ee 


| I found they were geeat wade oe 

5 Aas had no consciousness of their need being metic ie 
srayed. and asked for what they wanted, but were not oe Ree 
fied. At last I said, ‘‘Won’t you take the Filler and 
ate A ilne P They did. and went away, not occupied a 


WwW at was, the fant of the broken box me spikenard in 
case? “The house was filled with the odour of the 
ent.” Selewice when there is brokenness of spirit 
Is the odour of the grace of ee and after all, 


—‘‘ that low, sweet root, 
From which all heavenly virtues shoot.”’ 


Syllabus of 
The Oil as an Emblem of the Holy Spimit. 


I. Owl in the wounds—The activity of the Good Samaritan 


—God’s decisive work—Verbs in passive voice and aorist 
tense—II. O1l in the lampstand—Seven lights in the home— 
Mothers of Washington, Chrysostom and Wesley—The scold 
taken out—What Georgia’s shining did—III. Ozl in the branches 
—Interpretation of Zechariah iv.—A quotation—‘ The 
supply ’’—Question to lady in New York—Three S’s—IV. Oil 
in a cruse—‘‘Is thy cruse of comfort wasting ?’’—George 
Macdonald’s saying—Sustained—Play upon the word ‘“‘ com- 
fort ’’ in 11. Corinthians 1. 3-7, R.v.—V. Oil in a pot—A three- 
fold debt—‘‘ Lord unctionize our pastor ’’—The work of the 
Spirit in Korea—What the Korean Christians did—VI. Ouzl 
on the face—The tramp and William Pennefather—George 
Miller and the 23rd Psalm in his face—‘‘ Sin makes us ugly, 
but the grace of God makes us good looking ’’—The boy and 
his teacher—A spoonful of sunshine—‘“ Ten cents of glory 


divine ’’—The Transformer—VII. Oil on the ear—Oil on the. 


blood—Bible reading on the ‘‘ ear’’—Message on the tomb- 
stone—VIII. O11 on the hand—A. A. Bonar’s comment—Bible 
reading on the “‘hand’’—Seven whatsoevers—Phidias and 
_ the hair—What Wm. Burns said to the lady—IX. Oui on the 
foot—Bible reading on the “ feet ’’—The wood sorrel—X. 
Oil on the head—Words on pouring—tThe Spirit “ upon ’’— 
“Epi”? with the accusative—Spirit’s illumination—The 
agnostic and his “soulless universe’’ and Adolphe Monod’s 
“All in Christ ’?—XI. Oz in, and on, the meal-offering— 
Typical meaning—Kelloge’s comment—XII. Oil from the 
olave—Geikie on “‘ Beaten’’ and pressed oil—The oil press of 
Gethsemane—The coloured man’s ’Varsity—‘‘ You need more 
oil in your vessel.”’ 


92 


~ ee 


THE Olt: 


[* many places where oil is mentioned in the Old 

Testament, the reference is to the holy anointing oil or 

: ointment. We shall not refer to these, but confine ourselves | 

to one line of thought in thinking of oil as an emblem of the 

Spirit, namely, the places where oil was found as illustrative 
of the Spirit’s ministry. 


I. OIL IN THE WOUNDS. 


_ The whole being of the Good Samaritan was active in his 
compassion for the man who fell among thieves. The Good 
_. Samaritan had legs of mercy, for he came where the wounded 
_ man was ; he had eyes of kindness, for he saw him ; he had 
a heart of love, for he had compassion upon him; he had 
hands of help, for he bound up his wounds; he had self. 
- denial, for he put him on his own beast ; he had supporting 
grace, for he brought him to an inn ; he had loving care, for 
he took care of him; he had gracious forethought, for he 
_ provided for his future ; and he had a ministry of healing, for 
he poured into his wounds oil and wine (Luke x. 30-37). All 
_ this speaks of the greater Good Samaritan, Who ever ministers 
to us the oil of the Spirit and the wine of His joy. 
| The old life of sin leaves many wounds, but He Who was 
- wounded for us can heal our wounds. If the sin-scars are not 

_ removed, the sin-fester is cleansed by the oil of the Spirit’s 
mpresence. . °* Such. -were some of ye,”’:,says: the Lord, in 
'_ reminding the saints at Corinth of their former associates in 
- Iniquity ; but He also says, “‘ but ye are washed, but ye are 
% sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, 
and by the Spirit of our God ” (1. Corinthians vi. 11). Washed 
by the blood of Christ, justified in Him Who is the righteous- 
ness of God, and sanctified by the Spirit. Godet tersely 
points out that these acts are Divine, and that the verbs are 
__ passive as well as being in the aorist tense—‘ The verbs 
cs _ which express the two facts of justification and sanctification 


~~ are in the passive, for they signify two Divine acts... . the 
! 93 


ee, 


ee 
oe tk 


O40: EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy SPIRIT. 


of God always does clean and definite work. There is no 
parleying with Him. 


II. Ort IN THE LAMPSTAND. 


The golden lampstand was made for a specific purpose, 
namely, to illuminate the holy place of the Tabernacle. The 
cause of the light was the oil—‘‘ Oil for the light” (Exodus 
xxv. 6; xxxv. 8, 14, 28; xxxix. 37; Numbers iv. 16). As 
the light was to give light in the holy place, so there is one 


place which should ever be sacred to the child of God, and 


that is, his own home. The home is the place where the 


two verbs in the aorist* can only refer both of them to a deed — : 
done once for all, and not to a continuous state.’’ The Spirit — 


light needs to shine most. As there was a sevenfold light _ 


given by the seven lamps of the lampstand, so the Spirit will 


produce by His grace the light of love in the heart, the light — 


of gentleness in the manner, the light of graciousness in the - 


bearing, the light of holiness in the life, the light of righteous- 
ness in the action, the light of helpfulness in the service, and 
the light of faithfulness in the testimony. 

The Spirit emphasizes the necessity of first showing “ piety 


at home” (1. Timothy v. 4) ; and that fitness to rule in the 


house of God’s assembly is evidenced in being able to rule 
well one’s own home (1. Timothy iii. 4). If the context of the 
above Scriptures is studied, it will be found that the former 
refers to the children in their attitude towards their parents, 
and the latter speaks of the rule of the parents over their 
children. Who can tell the influence of a mother’s consistent 
and gentle life? It was said, ‘‘ George Washington com- 
manded the forces of the United States, but Mary Washington 
commanded George. Chrysostom’s mother made his pen for 
him.” The mother of the Wesleys shaped their characters 
by her prayers and holiness, and behind her was the unseen 
working of the Spirit. 

There is no one needs the oil of consecrating grace so much 


as a parent, for 
‘Children know, 
Instinctive taught the friend and foe.’’ 


* The aorist tense in Greek refers to some definite act in the past. 


te 
sep 


2 
aly ed mary | 
fee 

* ene ik ES 


* 


eo LHe children are quick to notice inconsistencies, and keen to 
appreciate the kindliness of Christian behaviour. <A lady who 
_ had a dreadful temper, and used to scold her husband and 
a is children, prayed for the Holy Spirit to come into her heart 
and take the temper away, and He did. About two weeks 
Bie afterward she overheard her children as they were. talking 
ie at their play, when one said to the other, “ Don’t do that. 


a If you do mother will scold.” “No, she won't,” was the 


_ reply, ‘‘ the Lord has taken all the scold out of her.” He will 
do the same for all who will let Him. 
While travelling in Canada some years ago, I came-across 
the following in tract form, which illustrates how we can, 
each of us, by the Spirit, shine for Christ :— 
% Georgia Willis, who helped in the kitchen, was rubbing 
_. the knives. Somebody had been careless and let one get 
rusty, but Georgia rubbed with all her might ; rubbed and 
sang softly a little song. 
‘‘In the world is darkness, 
So we must shine, 
You in your small corner, 
And I in mine.” 
“What do you rub at them knives for ever for ?’’ Mary 
said. Mary was the cook. 
ae “Because they are in my corner,’ Georgia said brightly. 
«Vou in your small corner, you know, ‘and I in mine.’ 
- T’ll do the best I can—that’s all I can do.” 
“T wouldn’t waste my strength,’ said Mary. “I know 
no one will notice.” 
‘Tesus will,” said Georgia, and then she sang again, —— 
“You in your small corner, 
And J in mine.” 
- “This steak is in my corner, I suppose,” said Mary. to 
herself, ‘‘ If that child must do what she can, I s’pose I must. 


and she broiled it beautifully. 
‘Mary, the steak was very nicely done to-day,’ Miss 
Emma said. : 
< - “ That’s all along of Georgia,’’ said Mary, with a pleased 
- red face, and then she told about the knives. 


Pup Ow ee | 95 


If He knows about knives it’s likely He does about steak,” | 


O0i-e. EMBLEMS OF THE HoLy Spirit. 


* 


_ Miss Emma was ironing ruffles, she was tired and warm, 
‘Helen will not care whether they are fluted nicely or not,” 
she said, ‘‘ ’ll hurry over them’’ ; but after she heard about 
the knives she did her best. 

* How beautiful my dress is done,” Helen said, and 
Emma, laughing, answered, ‘‘ That is owing to Georgia ”’ ; 
then she told about the knives. 

~ No,” said Helen to her friend who urged, ‘I really 
cannot go with you this evening. I am going to prayer- 
meeting ; my corner is there.’’ : 

“ Your corner! What do you mean!’ Then Helen told 
about the knives. 

~ Well,” said the friend, ‘If you will not go with me, 


perhaps I will with you,” and they went to the prayer- 


meeting. 

“ You helped us ever so much with the singing this 
evening, —That was what their pastor said to them as they 
were going home,—‘‘ I was afraid you wouldn’t be there.” 

-“It was owing to our Georgia,’ said Helen. “She 
seemed to think she must do what she could, if it was only 
knives.’”’ Then she told him the story. 

“I believe I will go in here again,’ said the minister, 
stopping before a poor little house. “I said yesterday there 
was no use, but I must do what I can.”’ In the house a sick 
man was lying. Again and again the minister had called, but 
he wouldn’t listen to him; but to-night he said, “I have 
come to tell you a little story.” Then he told him about 
Georgia Willis, about her knives and her little corner, and 
her “‘ doing what she could.’’ And the sick man wiped the 
tears from his eyes and said, ‘“‘J’ll find my corner too ; Vl 
try to shine for Him.” And the sick man was Georgia’s 
father. Jesus, looking down at her that day, said, ‘‘ She has 
done what she could,’”’ and He gave the blessing. 

“I believe I won't go to walk,” said Helen, hesitatingly. 
“ [ll finish that dress of mother’s ; I suppose I can if I think 
so.” 

“Why, child, are you here sewing >” her mother said ; 
“I thought you had gone to walk.” 


iba ace por Beate oi 
ae. a ts 


97 


: mo In your corner,’ ce mother repeated in surprise ; Pe ie ‘ 
3 nies Helen told about the knives. The door bell rang, aaa 
oe “the mother went peor to receive her Big: coe | 


Bas iy that poor child in the kitchen is trying to do what ie 
ee can, ‘I wonder if I am! I’ll make it twenty-five.” 

_ And Georgia’s guardian angel said to another angel, 
yaks Georgia Willis gave twenty-five dollars to our dear people 
in India. to-day.”’ 
“Twenty-five one 


said the other angel, “ Why, I 


as a But Georgia knew odnne about all this,-and the next 
morning she brightened her knives and sang cheerily :-—_ 
: E -**In the world is darkness, 

' So we must shine, 


You in your small corner, 
And I in mine.” 


iO. OIL IN THE BRANCHES. 


Zechariah had a vision of a golden lampstand with seven 
st ‘tranches and lamps, and a bowl on the top. The lampstand 
was connected with two olive trees, which poured their oil into 


iv, oe 11-14). That the oil has distinct reference to the 
poly Spirit is clearly stated in Zech. iv. 6, and is beyond 
- Historically, the reference is to Joshua and 
ee B Zeribbabel, abe. were qualified to execute the work of the 
= temple. _ Prophetically, there is a forecast to the two witnesses, 
x who are energized by the Spirit to witness for the Lord during 
the time of the great tribulation (Revelation xi. 4); and 
: typically or -emblematically we see there is a_ beautiful 


_ The two olive trees are 
G 


OSs EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


emblematic of the twofold revelation of God in Christ, as 


Light and Love ; the tubes and branches “‘ through ”’ (margin, 
“by the hand of ’’) which the oil is emptied out are typical of 
the mediatorial and priestly work of Christ, by means of 
Whose atonement and priesthood the Spirit comes to us 


(Zechariah iv. 11, margin) ; the bowl into which the oil flows — 


as a reservoir for the branches which fed the lamps is 
emblematic of the Risen Lord Who lives as the Christ (the 


Anointer) to supply the Spirit; the oil in the branches. 
typifies the indwelling consecrating Spirit ; and the oil as the | 


cause of the light is the secret of the Spirit’s manifested grace. 


The one thought we emphasize is the constancy of the 
Spirit’s supply. One has well said on this: ‘‘ The oil 


represents God’s fulness for all our need. How does it come ? 


Not by clumsy human mechanism, but by living contact with _ 


the two living trees. The oil is ever flowing from the two 
living Trees, and if the golden pipes are adjusted, and the 


flow unhindered, and the obstacles removed and the tubes _ 


open at both ends, God is continually feeding us, continually 
filling us. Just as the blood from our heart flows through 
the veins and arteries to every extremity of our body, flowing 
without our thinking, flowing when we sleep as well as when 
we awake, flowing every moment and keeping us alive; so 


the life of God every moment is pouring through our being, 


and because He lives ‘we shall live also. That is the 
perfect ideal of life in the Holy Ghost, not having to go and 
get a blessing ; not having to turn the power on, but keeping 
_ in such abiding fellowship, He in us and we in Him, that life 
will be continually imparted to us, and we shall be continually 
reflecting it in our life as ‘burning and shining lights.’ 


This is the highest type of Christian life. All the struggles, 
all the efforts, all the seekings, strivings and strainings are 


preparatory to this, but this is where we want to reach, where 
we want to rest; not trying to climb the heavens, and, by 
the slow beating of our wings, reach a higher plane; but, 
like the soaring bird who is there already and just stretches 
out its mighty pinions and floats all day long m the blue 


heavens, so God would have us dwell in God, abide in the 


heavenlies and have His life ever flowing through us.” 


THE OI. 99 


Paul expresses this thought twice in his epistles by the 
word “ supply’ in Ephesians iv. 16 and Philippians i. 19. 
_ The word signifies a furnishing upon, a further supply, a 
constant addition, as the life in the body constantly operating 
keeps it all alive. “ The supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ ”’ 
means, as Moule says, ‘‘ A developed presence in me of the 
Holy Ghost, coming from the exalted Saviour, and revealing 
_ Him, and applying Him.” 

_ What does this mean practically ? It means that Christ 
is such a living Reality by the Spirit that He satisfies our 
hearts. “Are you satisfied ?”” I asked a lady one day in 
_ New York. “ I am saved,” she replied. ‘‘ Are you satisfied >” 
“I am saved, I tell you.” “ Yes,” I replied, ‘“‘I know you 
said you were saved, but are you satisfied >” ‘‘ I don’t want 
to answer that question.’”’ Instead of being put off, I repeated 
the question. Then, with a look of unrest and dissatisfaction, 
she replied, ‘‘ No, I am not satisfied.’’ How many believers 
there are like her. When believers go to worldly amusements 
_ and questionable places to slake their thirst, it is proof positive 
that they are not satisfied. What is the reason ? The order 
of the three S’s of Deuteronomy xxxili. gives the answer, 
namely, saved, separated, satisfied. It is happy to be saved 
as Israel was, better to be separated as Joseph, but the 
satisfied life is to be like Naphtali, who was satisfied with the 
favour of the Lord (Deuteronomy xxxiii. 29, 16, 23). 


LV OLE IN A LCRUSE: 


One of the most touching things in the life of Elijah was 
when he went to the widow of Zarephath to be sustained by 
her in the time of great famine. He must have been surprised 
to find all the resources she had to sustain him were a 
~ “ handful of meal in a barrel and a little oil in a cruse,”’ and 
yet we know he did not look to her alone, for he said, “‘ Thus 
_ saith the Lord, the God of Israel, the barrel of meal shall not — 
waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day the 
Lord sendeth rain upon the earth’’ (1. Kings xvii. 12-16). 
On the Divine side the incident speaks of God’s power and 
grace to meet the need of His people; and on the human 
side the lesson is, we conserve what we have by giving it. 


EQ EMBLEMS OF THE HOoLy Spirit. 


away. We have so little because we give so little. The way 
to obtain fresh water in the tank is to turn the tap on, and 
the way to keep our spiritual life fresh, is to share what we 
have with others. , 
“Is thy cruse of comfort wasting ? rise and share it with another, 


And through all the years of famine it shall serve thee and thy — 
brother ; 


Love Divine will fill thy storehouse, or thy handful still renew ; 
Scanty fare for one will often make a royal feast for two. 


‘ For the heart grows rich in giving, all its wealth is living grain ; 
Seeds, which mildew in the garner, scattered, fill with gold the 
plain. 
Is thy burden hard and heavy ? Do thy steps drag wearily ? 
Help to bear thy brother’s burden ; God will bear both it and thee. 


“Numb and weary on the mountains, would’st thou sleep amidst the 
snow ? . | 
Chafe the frozen form before thee, and together both shall glow. 
Art thou stricken in life’s battle ; many wounded round thee moan ; 
Lavish on their wounds thy balsams, and that balm shall heal thine 
own. 


“Ts the heart a well left empty ? None but God its void can fill; 
Nothing but a ceaseless fountain can its ceaseless longing still. 
Is the heart a living power? Self-entwin’d, its strength sinks low ; 
It can only live in loving, and by serving love will grow.” 


George Macdonald says, “‘ If I can put one touch of a rosy 
sunset into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel I have 
worked with God.’ Such a desire is Spirit-born and maybe 
Spirit-formed, for He never puts a desire into the heart but | 
what He waits to make it live in action. It is one of the — 
glories of the gospel, that the ideals of grace can be realized 
by the Grace Who gives the ideals. He promises to make His 
precepts performances. God made His word true in Elijah’s 
case. He sustained His servant through the widow, and the © 
widow sustained herself in sustaining him; but it was all — 
“according to the word of the Lord” (1. Kings xvii. 16). 
The word “ sustain” (1. Kings xvii. 9) is rendered ‘‘ nourish” 
(margin, Ruth iv. 15), “ feed” (1. Kings xvii. 4), and “ guide” 
(Psalm cxii. 5) ; reading those words with His assurance in 
Psalm lv. 22—‘‘ Cast thy burden on the Lord, and He shall 
sustain thee ’’—we have His guarantee that He will nourish, 
guide, feed, and sustain, as we do the like to others. Paul 


THE OIL. : IOI 


oo the same thing when he says, ‘‘ The God of all 
_ comfort, Who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may 
be able to comfort them that are in any AGH te through 
the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 
For as the sufferings abound unto us, even so our comfort 
also aboundeth through Christ. But whether we be afflicted, 
it is for your comfort and salvation, or whether we be com- 
forted, it is for your comfort, which worketh in the patient 
enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and 
our hope for you is steadfast; knowing that, as ye are 
-partakers of the sufferings, so also are ye of the comfort’’ 
(m1. Corinthians i. 3-7, R.v.) It will be noticed how the Holy 
Spirit plays upon the word ‘‘ comfort,” which occurs ten times 
in these five verses, and which, by the way, is a cognate 
-word,* and is used of the Spirit as The Comforter. The 
one thought which we emphasize and repeat is, the apostle 
was able to have fellowship with others in their affliction to 
their comfort, because he was comforted by the God of all 
comfort, and he in turn was comforted as He gave comfort. 


V. OI IN A POT. 


Elisha, like Elijah, is associated with oil, a vessel and a 
woman in need. The woman was in a great strait. Her 
husband is dead, her sons are about to be removed into 
captivity because of a heavy debt she cannot pay. Elisha 
-_._ wants to know what she has in the house, and she replies, 
_ “Thy handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot 
of oil.”” Then the man of God instructs her to go and borrow 
all the empty vessels she can obtain, then to shut the doors, 
and to pour out of the pot of oil. She poured out of her 
scanty resource till every vessel was filled. Then she was 
instructed. to sell the oil and pay her debt, and to live with her 


* “ Pavakaleo”” means to call near, alongside to help, and is 
rendered ‘‘ comforteth,”’ “ comfort,” ‘‘ comforted”? in 11. Cor. i. 4, 6. 
_“ Paraklesis’”’ has the same thought, one near to solace, and is rendered 
_ “comfort” and ‘“‘ consolation” in 11, Corinthians i. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 

“ Parakletos’’ is the word which is applied to the Spirit and Christ. 
. To the former as the “‘ Comforier,”’ and to the latter as the ‘‘ Advocate ”’ 
2 (John xiv.16, 26;> xv. 20; xvi. 7§ 1, John dix1). : 


¢ 
102 EMBLEMS OF THE Ho ty Spirit. 


sons on the residue (11. Kings iv. 1-7). As with the other 
references to oil, so with this, we emphasize one point, namely, 
her debt was paid by using the oil she had, and the con- 
sequences were, her sons were saved from bondage, her credit 


was enhanced, and she had sufficient to meet the need of her 


sons and herself afterwards. 

There is a threefold debt which rests upon every child of 
God, viz., we owe obedience to God (the word “ duty a. 
Luke xvii. 10 is rendered “‘ owed’ in Luke vii. 41), we owe 
» love to our brethren (the word “ ought’ in 1. John iii. 16 ; 
iv. I; is translated ‘‘ owe’’ in Romans xiii. 8), and we owe 
the gospel to those who have not heard it, as Paul says, “I 
am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians’ (Rom. 
i. 14). How can we meet our liability ? Only in one way, 
and that is by the unction of the Holy Spirit. An aged 
saint in New York used to often pray for me as together we 
sought the Spirit’s power before preaching the gospel, by the 
following petition, ‘“ Lord, unctionize Thy servant.” How 
much dear Pulis’s prayer meant to his pastor he never knew, 
but the pastor knew the need and always said, ‘“‘ Amen.” 

One of the most remarkable movements of the Spirit in 
modern times is the work of grace in Korea. Twenty-five 
years ago there were no Christians in Korea ; to-day* 
there are 250,000 followers of Christ, or one convert per 
hour for every hour of the day and night since the 
first missionary set foot on Korean soil twenty-five years 
ago. That result has been achieved on the human side 
by the distribution of the Bible, earnest prayer, personal 


service, and self-denial. At one Conference an appeal was _ 


made for days of service during the following three months, 
when a remarkable scene followed. A merchant said, “I 
am going to do this work continually, but I will devote my 
entire time to it one week each month.” A boatman said he 
would give sixty days during the three months to the Lord. 
So one after another the offers of service came, till there were 
2,721 days of service promised, or the equivalent of one man 
preaching Christ continually for close upon seven-and-a-half 


* June, 1910. 


4 4 


THE OIL. 103 


years. The self-denial of the Korean Christians is equally. 
devoted. At the World’s Missionary Convention, held in 
Edinburgh, June, r910, the following facts were reported : 
‘ Already the total offerings of the Korean Church amount 
to over £25,000 annually, the value of which may be judged 
from the fact that the smallest Korean coin is of the value of 
one-fortieth of an English penny, while the wages of the 
labouring man in America and Korea show a disparity of 
seven and one-half times against the Korean. Therefore, if 
the gifts of the Korean Church were translated into terms of 
modern purchasing power, they should be multiplied seven- 
fold. The Koreans are heroically undertaking the cost of 
constructing their church buildings, and Christian school 
houses, while at the same time doing splendid service in the 
support of pastors and teachers. Korean men have. been 
known to sell their oxen, and hitch themselves to the plough, 
that chapels might be built ; to mortgage their own houses 
that mortgages might be removed from the Houses of God ; 
to sell their crops of good rice, intended for family consump- 
tion, purchasing inferior millet to live upon through the 
winter, and giving the difference in the cost for the support 
of workers to preach among their own countrymen. Korean 
women have given their wedding rings and even cut off their 
hair that it might be sold, and the amount devoted to the 
spread of the gospel.’’ When the Church at home acts in a 
like spirit we may expect the Spirit to act in a like manner 
to what He has done in Korea. When we use the oil of 
grace which He has placed in the cruse of our being, we shall 
find blessing coming to our loved ones, our obligation to pass 
on the gospel which the Lord has entrusted will be fulfilled, 
and we ourselves shall find such a residue of blessing which 
will be beyond all human expression. 


VI. OIL ON THE FACE. 


Among the acts of God’s ministry in Psalm civ., He is said 
to give ‘‘ oil to make’”’ man’s “‘ face to shine”’ (verse 15). A 
shining face is indicative of inward grace. The word “ shine ”’ 
is used of the light given forth by the lampstand (* seven 
lamps shall give light,’ Numbers viii. 2), and of the fire kindled 


‘J Es 
ties, a 
% cs 


104. EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


on the altar (“ neither do ye kindle ee on Mine altar, ” Mal. | 
i. 10). “There is warmth in a kindly glance, and encourage- 


ment in a smiling face. “ Kindness is a language which the 
deaf can speak and the dumb can understand.” A tramp on 


one occasion looked up into the kindly face of the late William 
Pennefather and said, “ You, with heaven in your face, will 


you help a poor fellow.” A farmer said of George Miiller, 


“ I was going up Ashley Hill one morning, when I met George © 


Miiller walking towards the City. Had I not known him, I 
should have said he was a gentleman of leisure and eithotie a 
care, so quietly did he walk, and so peaceful and stately was 
his demeanour. The twenty-third Psalm was written in his 


face.” The inward grace lit up his face. The lack of the 


inward grace is the reason why many have not a shining face. 
I remember hearing an old Methodist local preacher say 
once, ‘Sin makes us ugly, but the grace of God makes us 
good looking.”” Another incident to the same effect. Two boys 
were playing in a park, when the teacher of one of them 


passed by. Said one of the boys to the other, “ That is my 


teacher, and she is the most beautiful woman I know.” “TI 
don't admire your taste,’’ replied the other boy ; “ why, she is 
old, and her face is full of wrinkles!’ ‘‘ Well, but she comes 


to our house and speaks to me of Jesus, and her face shines 


with love and tenderness, and it is beautiful.” Her heart 


had the glory within, and she could not help manifesting it, 


and the boy could not help seeing it. There are a great 
many Christians who want what the little girl said she took 
when she was eating her milksop. The sun shone in it when 
she put the spoon into her mouth, and she exclaimed, ‘‘ Oh, 


-ma! I have eaten a whole spoonful of sunshine.’ Another 
little girl, being sent to astore in America to get ro cents. worth — 


of chloride of lime, forgot what she was sent for, and startled 
the man behind the counter by asking for ‘‘ ro cents. worth of 
glory Divine.’ The glory Divine is the only power that can 
make us manifest the Divine glory. Sunshine in the counten- 
ance is the result of the Spirit in the heart. If we are filled with 
the Spirit our faces will shine, and the poor perishing world, 


deluded by the shams and hypocrisies around them, will see 


beauty and power in us who profess to know the grace of God. 


Tas Ou. f ; 105 


___ _ The way to obtain the transfigured life is plainly stated in 


ul. Corinthians iii. 18, ‘‘ We all with unveiled face reflecting as 


a mirror the glory of the Lord are transformed (or ‘ trans- 


figured,’ the same word is used of the transfiguration of 
Christ) into the same image from glory to glory, even as 
from the Lord the Spirit’’ (R.v.) When a covering is over a- 
mirror, the person cannot see himself who is looking at it, 
but when it is removed he can. Believers are as mirrors, and — 


- should be as uncovered mirrors, and the Lord is the One Who 
_ is looking at us, and as the mirror reflects the person so we are 


to reflect Christ. The Remover of the veils which hinder 
Christ being seen and the Transformer is the Spirit, and as we 


. allow Him to do His work, we shall be like Moses, whose face 
shone, though he wist it not (Exodus xxxiv. 29); like 


Stephen (Acts vi. 15), and the early disciples, for the 
Council took knowledge of them that they had been with 


Jesus (Acts iv. 13). 


VII. OIL ON THE EAR. 
Having first put the blood of the trespass offering upon 


2 the ear of the cleansed leper, then the priest was to put 


Sy Re ts 


upon the blood” the consecrating oil also (Lev. xiv. 17). 


First the blood of atonement then the oil of consecration. 
That is always God’s order. Christ in His vicarious death 
answering for our sins to our salvation, then the Spirit in His 
vital grace enabling us to answer to God’s word in obedience 
to our blessing. : 

The anointed ear denotes the believer answering to God’s 


voice in His word by the Spirit’s power. The hearkening ear 


of obedience (Exodus xv. 26), the bored ear of love’s willing 
service (Exodus xxi. 5, 6), the exclusive ear of consecration’s 


: devoted separation (Psalm xlv. 10), the attentive ear of fellow- 


ship’s ardent attention (Psalm Ixxviii. 1), the wakened ear 


De of the disciple’s constant instruction (Isaiah l. 4), the opened 


ear of faith’s progressive walk (Isaiah 1. 5), and the marked 
ear of the sheep’s following of Christ (John x. 27), are only 
possible as we are empowered by the Spirit’s consecrating 
grace. In a beautiful English churchyard is.a small grave 


remarkable for its simplicity. On the simple tombstone are 


106 EMBLEMS OF THE HOoLy SPIRIT. 


these words: “‘ Freddy?” .... ‘Yes, Father!’ Oh! to 
say “‘ yes’’ to everything that the Lord commands, then we 
shall be what the little girl said constituted a Christian, ‘‘ It 
is just to do what Jesus would do.”’ | 


VIII. O1L ON THE HAND. 

The cleansed leper had the oil put on the thumb of the 
right hand as well as the ear (Leviticus xiv. 17). The saintly 
Andrew A. Bonar, in his commentary on Leviticus, in his 
own terse and trite way says of the oil upon the leper, “‘ The 


oil is put on the man’s ear—‘ Lord, I will hear for Thee.’ | 


And on his right hand—‘ Lord, I will act for Thee.’ And on 
his right foot—‘ Lord, I will walk up and down, to and fro, 
for Thee.’ The priest then pours all that remains of the oil 
on his head, that as it ran down in copious streams over all 


his person, he might hear every drop say, ‘Thou art His that — 


0 ae Xe 


saves thee. 
The hand is the symbol of action, hence, again and again 
the hand of the Lord stands for what He does (Exodus xv. 6 ; 
Deuteronomy iv. 34; Joshua iv. 24; 1. Kings xviii. 46; 
Job xu. 9; Matthew vii. 3, 15; Acts iv. 28; Acts xi. 21). 
Right through the Scripture the hand is the representative of 
what a man is called upon to do or does, thus we have the 
privileged hand of Joseph’s responsibility (Genesis xxxix. 
4, 6, 8, 22; xli. 42), the stretched hand of Moses’ relegated 
power (Exodus viii. 5 ; ix. 22; xiv. 21), the supervising hand 
of Ithamar’s priestly service (Exodus xxxviii. 21), the uplifted 
hands of Aaron’s vicarious blessing (Leviticus ix. 22), the 
generous hand of loving help (Deuteronomy xv. 7, 8, 11), the 
persevering hand of Joshua’s prowess (Joshua viii. 26), the 
used hand of Gideon’s victory (Judges vi. 36, 37 ; vii. 14, 15), 
the overcoming hand of David’s bravery (1. Chronicles xx. 6), 
and the communicating hand of the apostles (Acts xi. 30). 
There are seven “ whatsoevers’’ which cover the whole 
ground of the believer’s actions. Earnestness should be the 
spirit of our actions—‘‘ Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, 
do it with thy might’ (Ecclesiastes ix. 10). Responsiveness 
to Christ is the sphere of our actions—‘‘ Whatsoever He saith 
unto you, do it”’ (John i. 5).. Devotion to Christ proves our 


e +) Nae 
ra ( S 2 
5 agate 


ee en 


THE OIL. 107 


friendship to Him—“ Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever 
I command you ”’ (John xv. 14). Thoroughness is the extent 
of our consecration—‘‘ Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, 
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians iii. 17). 


_Heartiness to the Lord should be the soul of our actions—. 


“ Whatsoever ye do, work heartily as unto the Lord’ (Col. 
iii. 23, R.V.) Reward is the outcome of sowing “unto the 
Spirit ’’—‘' Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also 
reap’’ (Galatians vi. 7) ;. and the glory of God is to be the 
end of all our actions—‘' Whatsoever ye do, do all to the 
glory of God ”’ (1. Corinthians x. 31). 

It is related of Phidias, the great sculptor, that when 


someone objected to his taking so much pains with the hair 
of one of the statues in a temple, because no one would see it, 


he replied, ‘‘ The gods will see it!’ When we also labour in 
the consciousness of the Lord’s presence, we shall do all, seen 
and unseen, as to Himself and for His glory. “ Are you 


going to China to win souls >” asked a lady of Wm. Burns. 


” 


“No, madam,” was his reply, ““I am going for the glory of 
God.’ God’s glory includes our good and others’ blessing. 


Again, we remind ourselves that the possibility of all this is 
only as the unction of the Holy One is known. Christ acted 


in the power of the Spirit in all His ministry, how much 
more do we need Him to operate through us, as the apostle 
says, ‘‘I labour also striving according to His working which 


-_worketh in me mightily ” (Colossians i. 29). 


IX. OIL ON THE FOOT. 


“Oil... . on the great toe of the right foot’ (Leviticus 


xiv, 17). The foot is the symbol of the walk or life, hence, 
we read the wicked “ speaketh with his feet ’’ (Prov. vi. 13). 


Speaking feet are often referred to by the Holy Spirit, that is, — 
in many places where feet are mentioned truths are illustrated. 
We have the shod feet of Israel’s separation from Egypt (Ex. 


_ xii. 11), the cleansed feet of the priest’s holy service (Exodus 
' xxx. 19), the claiming feet of Israel’s possession of the land 


(Joshua i. 3), the uncovered feet of Joshua’s humble sub- 
mission (Joshua v. 15), the victorious feet of Israel’s great 


es triumph (Joshua x. 24), the preserved feet of God’s kept. 


“~ 


108 EMBLEMS OF THE “Hoty Serre 


saints (I (1. Samuel ii. 9), the sure fact of God’s S beet Bee 
(Psalm xviii. 33), the privileged feet of God’s enriched : 
possessors (Psalm xxxi. 8), the firm feet of the rock-estab- — 
lished dwellers (Psalm xl. 2), the turned feet of the quickened 
one’s walk (Psalm cxix. 59), and the beautiful feet of the: 2 
gospel ambassador’s testimony (Isaiah lii. 7; Rom. x. 15 5 iad 
Ephesians vi. 15). oS 


“Walk in the Spirit” (Galatians v. 16)-is the Divine 
injunction as to the sphere and secret of the spiritual life. 
The wood sorrel, one of England’s beautiful wild flowers, 
_ grows among the trees in some parts. The plant has shining — 
green leaves, and its flower is a transparent bell with white 
veins. When it is gathered roughly, or the evening dew 
falls, or the rain comes, the flower closes and droops, but — 
when the air is calm and bright it unfolds itself in all its love. 
liness. Like this sensitive flower so is the walk in the Spirit. a 
Let the cold dews of worldliness or the rough hand of sin 
disturb it then the spiritual life droops, but let the child of ~ : 
God keep in the warmth of Christ’s love and the atmosphere ~ 


of prayer, then the walk that pleases God is evident. oa 
X. OIL ON THE HEAD. ~ | ee 4 


After the priest had placed the blood and oil on the ~ 4 
different members of the cleansed leper, the rest of the oil 
was poured upon his head (Leviticus xiv. 18) ; Moses did the 
same with the anointing oil upon the head of Aaron at his 
consecration to the priesthood (Leviticus viii. 12); and 
under different circumstances and for different offices we find 
oil poured upon the head and always with the underlying 
~ thought of consecration to some given end (1. Samuel x. 1; 
xvi. 13; 1. Kings i. 39; u. Kings ix. 6; Psalm xxiii. 5). 
When we turn to the New Testament we find several 
references to the pouring forth of the Spirit. The word 
‘““cheo,’ to pour, 1s found in several combinations, such as _ 
‘“ Katacheo,” which means to pour down, as when the woman 
anointed Christ (Matthew xxvi. 7) ; again, there is ““ Ekcheo” _ 
and “‘ Ekchuno,’ which mean to pour out, whichis frequently 
found in association with the Spirit, and is rendered “ pour 


vee THE OI. 3 | 09 
out” (Acts ii. 17, 18; x. 45), “shed forth” (Acts ii. 33), 

“shed abroad’’ (Romans v. 5), and “ shed”’ (Titus iti: 6) . 
and there is also “‘ Epicheo,’’ which means to pour upon, as 
-when the Good Samaritan poured the oil and wine on the 
wounds of the wounded man (Luke x. 34). When the | 
pouring out of the Spirit is referred to, it has distinct reference 
to the gift of the Spirit as the bestowment of power for sanc- 
tification and service, as the Lord had promised aforetime — 
(Isaiah xliv. 3; Joel ii. 28, 29; Zechariah xii. ro). But in 
addition to the above we find the preposition “ ez”? which 
| only occurs with the accusative case, and signifies one object 
- coming towards another object with distinct intention, thus 
God makes His sun “to rise on’’all with the intention to 
_ bless all (Matthew v. 45). Again and again the Spirit is said 
~ to “come upon Christ” with the distinct intention to qualify 
- Him for service (Matthew iii. 16; xii. 18; Mark i. 10; Luke 
iv. 18; John i. 32, 33); and the same thing is true of the 
 Lord’s people, thus the Spirit was to come upon Mary to 
beget within her the humanity of Christ (Luke i. 35), He was 
upon Simeon enabling him to wait for Christ (Luke ii. 25), 
- He was to come upon the disciples that they might “ be 
~endued with power” (Luke xxiv. 49; Acts i. 8), He came 
__ upon the disciples at Pentecost and qualified them to witness 
~ to Christ (Acts ii. 3, 17, 18), and in the after days it was the 
same (Acts iv. 33; X. 44; xi. 15; xix. 6), His regenerating 
- and renewing work is because He comes upon us (Titus 
iii. 5, 6), and He rests upon us to encourage and strengthen 
when we are reproached for the sake of Christ (1. Peter iv. 14). 
Remembering the head is the seat of thought and stands 
_ for the mind, we can understand how much is suggested by 
the oil upon the head. The Spirit illuminates our mind that 
we may understand the spiritual things of His spiritual realm ; 
He inspires our thoughts that we may think God’s thoughts 
after Him; He controls our intellect that we may ponder 
His purposes ; and He cultivates our minds that we may be 
wise and skilful, like Bezaleel and Aholiab (Exodus xxxvi. 1), 
in His work. The unenlightened mind cannot see God nor 
understand His ways, like the dying and philosophic agnostic 
professor, who confessed, “‘ My researches have revealed to 


IIo EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


me a soulless universe, looked down upon by a godless 


heaven.”’ On the other hand the Spirit-illuminated man can 
say, as Adolphe Monod declared, ‘“‘ All in Christ, by the Holy 
Spirit, for the glory of God, all else is nothing.” 


XI. OIL IN, AND ON, THE MEAL-OFFERING. 


Some of the meal-offerings had oil mingled with the flour 
and also had oil poured upon them (Leviticus ii. 4, &c.) The 
fine flour is typical of Christ’s perfect humanity, the oil 
mingled with it is typical of Christ being born of the Spirit 


(Luke i. 35), and the oil being poured upon the offering is 
typical of Christ being empowered by the Spirit for His life’s 


work (Luke iii. 22; iv. 1, 14, 18). The above have their. 


correspondence in the life of the believer in. Christ. The 
new life is the product of the Spirit, and that new life is holy 
(John iii. 5), and yet we need in addition the Spirit as the 
Spirit of power to qualify for service, that all may be done 
by Him to God’s glory. Dr. Kellogg, in his book on Leviticus, 
has reminded us of the possibility of being actively engaged 


in God’s work, and yet not being occupied with the Lord 


Himself and doing all to Him—‘ It is sadly possible to call 


Christ ‘ Lord,’ and, labouring in His field, do in His name 
many wonderful works, yet not really unto Him. A Christian 


worker may sow continually the undoubted seed of God’s 


Word, and the apparent result of his work may be large, and 
even real, in the conversion of men to God, and a great increase 
of Christian zeal and activity. And it is quite possible to 
do this, and still do it for himself, and not for the Lord ; and 


when success comes, begin to rejoice in his evident skill as a - 


spiritual husbandman, and in the praise of men which this 
brings him ; and so, while thus rejoicing in the fruit of his 
labours, neglect to bring of this good corn and wine which 


he has raised for a daily meal-offering in consecration to the 


Lord. Most sad is this, and humiliating.” Is there a cure 
for such a state of things? Verily, yes. It is for the 
Christian worker to recognise God can do without him, and 
then to recognise that the Great Worker is the Holy Spirit. 


He alone can make us shine and serve. Without Him we are — 


like the foolish virgins, lacking the essential thing. 


= S 
SON a ee a rn a 


THE OIL. TTT 
XII. O1L FROM THE OLIVE. 


The kind of oil is specially mentioned, it was to be ‘‘ Pure 
oil olive beaten for the light”? (Exodus xxvii. 20; Leviticus 
Xxiv. 2, R.v.) The process by which this beaten oil was obtained 
is described by Dr. Cunningham Geikie. He says, ag 
ancient times the gathered olives were either pressed, or 
trodden by the feet, in an olive-vat. The finest oil, however, 
was that which flowed from the berries when they were | 
merely beaten, not from those that were pressed, and hence 
it was expressly required for religious services.”’ It is also 


the ‘‘fresh oil”? of which David speaks (Psalm xcii. Io). 
_ This pure, fresh oil was only obtained by the bruising of the 


olive berries. In describing a further process the same 
author says, ‘‘ The mills used in obtaining the oil are of two 
kinds ; the one worked by hand, consisting simply of a heavy 


stone wheel, which is rolled over the berries thrown into a 


stone basin. When crushed, they are taken out as pulp, and 
put into straw baskets, which are then placed in a screw- 
press and squeezed. The oil thus obtained is of excellent 
quality, though inferior to the ‘beaten’; but a third 


oe quality is obtained by subjecting the already pressed pulp 


to a second squeezing. The other mill is a hollow cylinder, 
with iron rods projecting at its lower end. It stands upright, 
and turns on a round framework of stone, the iron rods 
beating the olives to pulp as they are thrown in. After this 
maceration they are put under a beam heavily weighted at 


- the end, and thus, one would think, the last possible yield of 


oil is obtained. But there is still a little left, and a second 
pressing, after the already sorely squeezed pulp has been 


_ heated, secures this final portion.” 


The oil of the Spirit’s consecrating grace comes to us 
because of the Saviour’s atoning sacrifice. As we see the oil 


_ beaten out of the berry, or pressed out of it by the mill, we 


are reminded of Him ‘Who was pressed by awful sorrow in 
Gethsemane, beaten by wicked hands in Gabbatha, and 
crushed by Divine wrath on Golgotha. The place of Christ’s 


~ agony was fitly named Gethsemane, which means olive press, 
as Hart says :— 


means of the beating of affliction, the rod of chastisement, 
and the fire of trial. ‘In what university were you 


And as we do so we shall find the angel of the Spirit’ s fe i a 


God in a general way.’’ There are too many who believe in 
generalities, but the Spirit is always definite and particular. 


112 ~~ +EmBLeMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 
‘‘ Gethsemane, the olive press ! k ey 
(And why so named, let Christians guess.) _ 


- Fit name, fit place, where vengeance strove, 
And gripped and grappled hard with love.” 


_ We, are reminded that the oil of blessing often comes Bye 


educated ?”? was asked of a coloured man. He replied 
ae Nae where I was educated was in the School of. 
Adversity.” 


“When storms of sorrow round us sweep, 
And scenes of anguish make us weep ; 
To sad Gethsemane 
We'll look; and see the Saviour there, ~ 
And humbly bow, like Him, in Prayers: 


coming to us, to our comfort and triumph. 
‘What you need is more oil in your vessel, ty said one 


Christian to another, as they were talking to each other about — ae 


their Christian experience. ‘‘ May-be,” the other replied, 
“but I do not believe in being too particular, I like to serve 


Mark how this is brought out in the epistles, where in nearly 
everyone of them the Spirit points His finger on the sore 
place. Let Him search and save, wound and heal, strip and 


clothe, humble and exalt, empty and fill, and all shall be well. pee 


We Sie eee, 


Syllabus of 
The Fire as an Emblem of the Holy Spirit. 


Fire associated with seven things—Legend of Prometheus. 
—I. Fire consumes—Bon-fire at Ephesus—Spurgeon and the 
hot iron—II. Five purifies (Isaiah vi. 7)—Prophet’s lips 
touched—Unchristian tongues—‘‘ Cleanse her tongue, Lord ” 


 —IIl. Fire breaks—Samson’s withs—Bacillus of fear——Man 


in Toronto rushing past the saloon—IV. Fire softens—The - 
melting mountain—The monk who would not die—Verses 
which tell a story—V. Five hardens—‘ Everlasting burn- 
ings ’’—Fixing the colours—Jonathan Edwards’ note in diary 
—VI. Fire inflames—Eating the sin-offering—The Nun’s 
disgrace and substitute—VII. Five warms— Aha! I am 
warm ’’—The Lord’s fire—Two secrets of George Whitfield’s 
life and labour—The Word an inspiration to prayer—George 
Miiller’s saying—VIII. Five cheeys—Why is a fire cheerful ? 
Seven lamps of fire—Collier boy and the light which made 
him sing—‘‘ Good cheer ’’—IX. Five fuses—What made their 
hearts, ‘“‘ heart ’’ >—Iron ore and the furnace—The woman 
who could not love her daughter-in-law—X. Fire assimilates 
—*“ Cherubim ’’—‘ Blue eyes ’’—“ Let it be done exactly ””— 
I want to be clean “ within’’—John the Baptist a burning 
lamp—XI. Fire tests—“ Eyes of fire’’—‘‘ Tried by fire’’— 


Testing of faith—XII. Five tllwminates—Secret source of © 
_things—Why she saw _ differently—XIII. Fire moves— 


“ Tongues of fire and hearts of love ’’—The schemes to make 
the factory’s. machinery move—XIV. Fire ascends—‘ Ano” 
—Michael reel s upward look. 


113 H 


TA Ae 


E often find that one symbol may represent two or 
more things. Lion, for instance, is used as a meta- 


phor of Christ and Satan, and yet with a difference, for while — 
it is used to express the boldness and achievements of our 


Lord, it symbolizes the cruelty and ferociousness of Satan 


(Revelation v. 5; 1. Peter v. 8). Fire also, is used of several _ 


things. It is a symbol of the Lord’s presence, hence, Jehovah 
appeared to Moses ‘‘in a flame of fire” (Exodus iii. 2). - Fire 
is a sign of the Lord’s approval. Thus in connection with the 
Tabernacle (Leviticus ix. 24), at the dedication of the temple 
(11. Chronicles vii. 1), and on Mount Carmel, fire came down 
from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, as a sign of God's 
approval and acceptance (1. Kings xviii. 38). Fire is 
associated with the protection of God’s presence, hence, He 
was as a “pillar of fire”? to the children of Israel for illumina- 
tion and defence (Exodus xiii. 21), and He promises to be a 
“wall of fire”? about His people (Zechariah ii. 5). Fire is a 
simile of His discipline and testing. When the Lord purifies 
the sons of Levi, He does it as a refiner purifies gold, by the 
action of fire (Malachi iii. 3) ; and when Christ searched the 
seven Churches, His eyes are described as “a flame of fire”’ 
(Revelation i. 14) ; and when believers are tried, they are 
reminded ‘‘ the trial of your faith’’ is ‘‘ much more precious 
than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire” 
(1. Peter i. 7) ; and we are also reminded, “‘ Our God is a Con- 
suming Fire ’’ (Hebrews xii. 29). Fire is an emblem of God’s 
Word, igniting and warming. Jehovah’s declaration to 
Jeremiah was, ‘‘ Behold I will make My words in thy mouth, 
hie: 
the Word, he had to confess, ‘‘ Then I said, I will not make 
mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name. But His 


Word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones 


114 


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THE FIRE. a ert 5 


. . and I could not stay”’ (Jeremiah v. 14; xx. 9). Fire 
speaks of God’s judgment. When Aaron’s sons brought the 
strange fire in their self-willed effrontery, “there went out 
fire from the Lord, and devoured them ”’ (Leviticus x. 2) ; and 
fire is also an emblem of the Holy Spirit, for He is compared. . 
to “‘ seven lamps of fire burning before the throne ”’ (Revelation 
iv. 5), and His gifts at Pentecost are compared to “ cloven 
tongues like as of fire’’ (Acts Ii. 3). 

There is an old Greek legend of one Prometheus, hen is 
said to have climbed up to heaven and stolen fire from thence. 
Because of his act Jupiter is said to have chained Prometheus 
to a rock on Mount Caucasus, where he was tormented by an 
- eagle. Christ is our Prometheus, Who by means of His 
atoning death has procured for us the fire of the Holy Spirit’s 
presence and power. The Pascal Lamb of Calvary has 
secured for us the Pentecost of the Comforter. The opened 
heaven of the Coming Spirit has been secured by the open 
side of the crucified Saviour. The smitten Rock sends forth 
the streams of the Spirit’s grace. 

Directly: and indirectly the Spirit’s might and ministry 
may be compared to fire. The zeal of service, the flame of 
love, the fervour of prayer, the earnestness of testimony, the 
devotion of consecration, the sacrifice of worship, and the 
_ igniting-power of influence are attributable to the Spirit. 

“‘ Every virtue we possess, 
And every victory won, 


And every thought of holiness 
Are His alone.” 


_ As we ponder the action of fire, we shall find how the 
Spirit is represented by this emblem. 


I. FIRE CONSUMES. 


One of the most searching of the designations applied’ ‘to 
- God is, ‘A consuming Fire.” As such He has been the 
Consumer of the enemies of His people (Deuteronomy ix. 3) ; 
the Destroyer of those who, like Achan, have dared to 
touch God’s devoted things (Joshua vii. 15-25); and a 
deterrent to His people to keep them from disobedience 
(Deut. iv. 24; Hebrews xii. 29). One of the practical 


TH EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy SPIRIT. 


outcomes of the ministry of Paul at Ephesus was, “ Many 
of them also which used curious arts brought their books 
together, and burned them before all’? (Acts xix. 19). In 
other words, the things which were associated with their old 
“Vife were burned. Well for all God’s people if there was a 
bonfire of all the old things of the Egyptian world and self- 
life at the commencement of the Christian career, but alas! 
we often find, as Israel brought some of the dough out of 
Egypt with them, so the saints often bring some one thing 
snto the new life. ‘‘ Utterly destroy all,” was God’s command 
to King Saul (1. Samuel xv. 3) regarding Amalek, but 
Saul compromised, and received his death-thrust from an 
Amalekite in consequence (11. Samuel 1. 6-I0). 

- The dross of pride, the rags of self-righteousness, the leaves 
of an empty profession, the stubble of questioning doubt, the 
thorns of prickly temper, the filth of unholy desire, the chaff 
of useless endeavour, the roots of black bitterness, the straw 
of pretentious unreality, and the refuse of unprofitable talk, 
need to be consumed. Who can consume these? ‘‘ The 
Spirit of Burning ” (Isaiah iv. 4). He can, and He will if we 
will let Him. Mr. Spurgeon says : “ You may write on wax 
and only make the record fair. Take a hot iron and roll it 
across the wax, and it is all gone. That seems to be what the 
Lord did with Paul’s heart. It was all written over with 
blasphemy and rebellion, and He rolled the hot iron of burning 
over his soul and the evil inscription was all gone. He ceased 
to blaspheme, and he began to praise.” Christ will do the 

same for all who will let Him. | 


Il. FIRE PURIFIES. 


When Isaiah confessed his undoneness and his unclean- 
ness, then the Seraph took a live coal from the altar and 
placed it to his lips, and said, ‘‘ Lo, this hath touched thy lips ; ~ 
and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged ” (Isaiah 
vi. 7). The sin of which he had been made conscious was 
undoubtedly some lip-sin. There is no member of the body 
which sins so readily, and which needs to be purified, as the 
tongue. There is the thoughtless tongue of hasty speech, 
like David’s, when he said in his haste, “ Aj] men were liars ”’ 


THE Frre. | 117 


(Psalm cxvi. Ir); there is the self-assertive tongue of self- 
confidence, like Peter’s, when he avowed his fidelity to the 
Lord and then denied him (Luke xxii. 33) ; there is the proud 
tongue of self-inflation, which boasts with Nebuchadnezzar, 
and says, ‘‘ Is not this great Babylon, which I built” (Dan. 
iv. 30); there is the unguarded tongue of hasty conclusion, 
like Paul’s, when he called the high priest ‘‘ a whited wall ”’ 
(Acts xxiii. 3); there is the gossiping tongue of unholy 
exaggeration, like the widows about whom the apostle wrote 
to Timothy (1. Timothy v. 13); there is the unclean tongue 
of suggestive allusion, which we are commanded not to allow— 
~ Put off .... all filthy communication out of your mouth” 
(Colossians iii. 8) ; there is the questioning tongue of crippling 
doubt, like Gideon’s, when he met the Lord with his 
vocabulary of unbelief (Judges vi. 13); there is the fiery 
tongue of unbridled temper, like Jonah’s, when he was angry 
at the action of God towards Nineveh hens iv. I-4) ; there is 
the unkind tongue of unjust reflection, like Absalom’s, when 
he stole the hearts of the people Sean David (u. Samuel 
Xv. I-g) ; and there is the dumb tongue of unfaithful reserve, 
like Isaiah’s, for his confession may read, ‘“‘ I have been dumb.” 

As the Seraph touched the lips of the prophet to his 
purification, so the Spirit of God can cauterize the tongue of 
the child of God and thus cleanse away the unholiness and 
uncleanness of the lips. “I confess I have been guilty of 
gossiping,’ wailed a child of God in humble contrition, ‘ and 
1 want the Lord to forgive me.” At this, the friend 
kneeling at her side, said, “Oh! He'll forgive you, He'll 
forgive you,” and then she prayed, “‘ But cleanse her tongue, 
Lord.” That’s it, it is not enough to obtain forgiveness, 
there must be cleansing too, yea, the inner being must be 

right with the Lord, for a foul tongue has its root of evil 
- in an unclean heart. Let the Spirit purge away the unclean- 
ness, and make the tongue sweet, because sweetened by His 
presence within. 

Don’t draw back from the fire of discipline, remember it 
is a proof of sonship. ‘‘ Everything that may abide the fire, 
ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean ” 

(Numbers xxxi. 23). 


118 _ EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 
“ For the common wooden vessel, 

’Tis enough it should 

Simply have the water cleansing, 
It is only wood ; . 

But for vessels, costly, golden, 
Used for service higher, 

They are only made the brighter, 
Passing through the fire. 

Am I tempted in the furnace 
From my heart to cry, 

“Stay Thine hand! Oh, ’tis enough, Lord ! 
Still the agony. 

Till Thine image is reflected 
In the burnished gold, 

Lord, I ask that Thou wilt grant me 
Patience manifold.’ ”’ 


III. FIRE BREAKS. 


When Samson was endued with the Spirit’s power, through 


the locks of his consecration, he was able, when the Philistines 
bound him, to snap the withs’“‘ as a thread of tow is broken 
when it toucheth the fire” (Judges xvi. 9). During a cholera 
scare, at a meeting of physicians in Berlin, a practitioner in 
that city, said that all fear of a cholera epidemic in the 
German metropolis was groundless, adding: ‘‘ But we have 
much to fear from another source. A bacillus has recently 


been located here which prostrates those whom it attacks, 


increases with alarming rapidity, enters and works havoc 
despite cleanliness and rational diet, spreads not only by 
contact, but is communicated through the mail and public 
press. No class is exempt and no physician has devised a 
remedy. I refer to the fear bacillus. It embitters the lives 
of those whom it attacks, for it marks as poison the things 
that are the most toothsome, it banishes cigars and beer from 
the homes of men to whom a smoke and drink are essential, 


and it converts the ordinary kitchen into a laboratory. Even — 
medical students have been attacked, and it is a sad spectacle 


to see these fellows drinking milk while they sing ‘ Gaudeamus 
igitur.’ os its virulent form there is no disease so difficult to 
conquer.” 

It goes without the saying we are not prepared to endorse 
what the physician said, about “ cigars and beer,’”’ but what 


THE FIRB 00, 119 


he said about the “‘ fear bacillus”’ is only too true. Many 
frighten themselves into illnesses. The same is true with 
some of the Lord’s people, they fear they will fail, and they 
fail because they fear. A Christian man in Toronto, whose 
weakness had been indulgence in strong drink, was filled 
with such fear, after his conversion, when passing a-drinking- 
saloon, that he would come out in a sweat and rush past the 
place as if the devil was after him. He felt it was not becom- 
ing to a child of God, that he should have such a haunting 
fear pursuing him, he therefore prayed that the Holy Spirit 
would break the yoke of fear, and He did, and the consequence 


was, as he himself said, “I can now walk past these places 


with all the dignity of a child of God, and without any fear of 
entering them.”’ 

One feature of the Spirit’s enduement at Pentecost was, 
the boldness or confidence which characterized the saints 
(Acts iv. 13). Peter, for instance, before the Spirit’s deliver- 
ing grace, was afraid of a servant maid, but afterward no fear 
is seen. The fire of the Spirit had snapped the withs of fear 
and he was a free man. The fear of man, the fear of failure, 
the fear of the world’s laughter, the fear of ridicule, the fear 
_ of loss, and the fear of not having the good opinion of others, 
will bind us tighter. than ever Samson was bound by the 
Philistines, and only the Spirit can free us, but He can, to our 
joy in God and confidence before others. He, who fears God, 
need fear no one. 


IV. FIRE SOFTENS. 


__. The Psalmist says, “ As wax melteth before the fire, so 

let the wicked perish before Elohim ”’ (Psalm Ixviii. 2). The 
prophet also prays, “Oh that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, 
and come down, that the mountains might flow down at Thy — 
presence, as when the melting fire burneth ”’ (Isaiah Ixiv. r, 2). 
~ The wicked that the spiritual mind cries against is the wicked 
and wilful self. The mountain that needs to be melted by 
the Spirit’s fiery presence is the mountain of our own will. 
There is a story told of a monk who was disobedient to the 
law of his superior in the monastry, and was taken out to be 
buried alive. He was placed standing in the grave, and the 


120 ~~=EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 

earth was filled in so that he could not move his feet. The 
superior asked him, ‘‘ Are you dead yet ?” and he said, ‘‘ No.” 
The earth was then filled in, until it rose to his chest, and it 
was difficult for him to breathe, and when the question was 
repeated, he said, “‘ No, I will not die.”’ The earth was then. 
filled in until it was almost impossible for the man to speak, 
and a few more shovelfuls of earth would have smothered 
him, and he said, “I will giveup. I will die.’ When we are 
willing to die to self, then the Lord points to the cross, and 
says, ‘‘See yourself dead in My death, now believe yourself — 
is dead, and henceforth let it be, no longer your self-life, but 
I Myself, your life. 


* Yes, I was living to myself—was dead ;_ 
Self, with its hopes and dreams, was all I had ; 
But soon the Lord fulfilled my prayer to know, 
The power of HIS CROSS—’twas death below, 
I asked contrition—and He sent me pain ; 
For purity—but anguish came again ; 
I asked I might be meek—He broke my heart ; 
I asked—I knew not what—the better part ; 
I asked to know what death was to the world, 
And quickly all my living hopes were spoiled ; 
I asked to be like Him—His image bear— 
He placed me in a furnace, sitting there 
‘Like one refining silver, till He see 
The reflex of His image bright in me; 
I asked that. I the daily Cross might bear, 
It lacerated me—the wounds I wear ; 
I blindly prayed, not knowing how nor what— 
He took me at my word, it mattered not. 

% * * # 


Then I began to shrink from following near, 

And well-nigh prayed Him to depart, through fear ; 

To suffer was not pleasing to the flesh—. 

I feared to pray, lest suffering come afresh. 

But I had gone too far—on I must go— 

The virtues of His Cross had pierced me through ; 
In me, His promise now fulfilled must be, 

‘J, lifted up, will draw all men-to me.’ 

Ah! I had only heard of love, but now 

I feel it—oh ! I feel its living glow. 

He fastened on me such a look of love, 

Withering to self, tender all words above— 

Follow I must, whatever may betide ; 


THE FIRE. I2I 


I love the Cross, I shelter in His side— 

That riven side, from which the glory beams, 

Whence life and healing flow in living streams. 
* * * * 


Only by gazing I become like Him— 

His name is all to me—He dwells within ; 
My calling is to live with Him alone, 

Unlike all others, lacking what they own ; 
Content to be by all the world despised, 
Knowing that I by Him am loved and prized ; 
Content to be like Him, and call HIM mine, 
In fellowship, ineffable, Divine ; 

Happy to lose the brighter portion here, 
That I may gain the weight of glory there ; 
Happy that when I well-nigh turned away, 
His hand was on me, would not let me stray ; 
Happy to know that He does all in love— 
To bear the Cross below, the crown above ; 
Happy that not my will but Hzs be done ; 
Happy in prospect of the rest of Home.” 


V. FIRE HARDENS. 


The prophet asks very pertinent questions when he says, 
‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who 
among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings ?”’ Then he 
gives a sixfold description of the man who will be able to 
dwell in the fire of God’s holy presence. (1) He is an upright 
walker—‘‘ He that walketh righteously.” (2) He has a clean 
tongue—‘‘ And speaketh uprightly.”’ (3) He is a considerate 
worker—‘‘ He that despiseth the gain of oppressions ’’ (marg., 
“deceits’’). (4) He is an honest dealer—‘‘ that shaketh his 
hands from holding of bribes.’’ (5) He is a holy hearer— 
_“ That stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood.”’ (6) He is an 
upward looker—‘‘ And shutteth his eyes from seeing evil.” 
The consequence of these actions, which mark the doer as a 
man of God, is, ‘‘ He shall dwell on high : his place of defence 
shall be the munitions of rocks’’ (Isaiah xxxill. 14-16). 
Being in Christ, our “ Munitions of Rocks,’ we have “a 
Place of Defence on high,’ and can in Him dwell with ‘ our 
God, Who is a Consuming Fire,’’ and as we do so “‘ we can 
offer service well-pleasing to God ”’ (Hebrews xii. 28, 29, R.V.) 
And thus dwelling in Him, He makes it a holy habit of life to 


66 


122  +EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


do what He wishes, and thus we become hardened in this trend ee 


of life, and do not receive the impressions of evil. Beautiful 
colours, rich gold-work, exquisite designs, and artistic skill 
may be seen on the porcelain vase, but a careless touch may 


spoil them, there is a needs-be that the vase should be placed — 2 


in the fire, that the artist’s skill may be burnt in, and then the 
colours become permanent. The Holy Spirit is the Artist and 
the Fire. Healone can produce the beautiful colours of a holy 
life and make the character impervious to the attacks of evil. 


He alone can make us resolve with Jonathan Edwards, who a _ 


wrote in his diary these words, “If I believed that 1 were 
permitted to one man—and only one—in thts generation, to lead 
a life of complete consecration to God, I sai live in every — 
vespect as though I believed myself to be that one.’ The Apostle 
_ Paul was another one, hence, he made it his ambition to be 
well-pleasing to his Lord (i. Corinthians v. 9, R.v.) The 
- result was he was hardened by the Spirit’s grace, Who fired 
him with such an ambition. The Spirit-fired-believer is 
hardened against evil, he is not moved away from the 
principles of the gospel, he is fixed in his purpose to glorify _ 
God, he presses on to gain the prize of the high calling, and - 
stands in the grace of the Spirit and says in the face of all 
opposition, ‘‘ None of these things move me, neither count I 
my ae dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with 
joy” (Acts-xx; 2A); 


VI. FIRE INFLAMES. 


‘While I was musing,’’ the Psalmist exclaims, “‘ the fire 
burned” (Psalm xxxix. 3). The word “burned” is a 
primary one, meaning to kindle, or to consume by fire or 

eating. There were some of the offerings which the priests” 
were allowed to eat. For instance, the sin-offering could be 
eaten, if the blood had not been brought into the holy place 
(Leviticus vi. 25-30 ; x. 16-20). When the blood was brought 
into the Tabernacle, then the animal was wholly consumed 
outside the camp by fire; but when the blood was not 


brought into the Tabernacle, then the priests could eat it in 


the holy place. This has a typical significance for us, who a 


know Christ as the One Who was made sin for us. There is 


THE FIRE. 123 


- nothing which will so inflame our love to Christ and others, as 
the remembrance of His love for us. The altar of His sacrifice — 
is where the being of our love is kindled. Adelaide Proctor 

tells the story of a young girl who lived in a convent in France 
centuries ago. She was sweet and pure, and admired by all 
who knew her. Wars swept over France, and a wounded | 
soldier was brought to the convent and placed under her care. 
When he recovered he persuaded her to leave the convent. 
_ She went with him, and lost her good name and everything 
_ which made life worth living. Years passed, and she came 
back to die within the sound of the convent bell. She fell 


ae fainting upon the steps, and there came to find her, not such 


an one as she had been, but a pure and noble matron. She 
picked her up and carried her in and placed her on her bed. 
All the years the wanderer had been gone, the other had 
faithfully done her work, and none knew of her disgrace. 
When the restored one got well, she glided back into her old 
place, and until the day of her death, none knew of her sin. 
What a picture this, of all Christ has done for us. We had 
wandered out into the night of sin, but Christ came and took 
our place, and suffered for our sin, then in love He took us 
into His palace of grace, and gave us a better position than we 
ever had. We may well feed upon Christ our Sin-bearer, and 
as we do so, we shall find the Spirit igniting a holy flame of 
ardent passion, moving us to Him in practical love. 


VII. FIRE WARMS. 


“Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire’”’ (Isaiah xliv. 16). 
These words are put, by the prophet, into the mouth of one 
who has warmed himself at the fire. The first thing which 
greeted the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias when they landed 
- was, ‘‘a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread ”’ 
(John xxi. 9). The Lord knew the disciples were cold and 
- hungry. What that meal was to those hungry men, the Word 


-- of the Lord is to the needy soul. It is food to feed us and a 


fire to warm us. I know of nothing which will move and warm, 
when we feel dark and cold, like the Word, and I have never 
_ known the Spirit fail to meet me when I have come prayer- 
- fully to His Word. There are two things which are said to 


EOdow so EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy SPIRIT. © 


have been the secret of George Whitfield’s life and labour— 
‘“his unusual prayerfulness and his habit of reading the Bible 
on his knees. The great evangelist had learned that first 
lesson in service, his own utter nothingness and helplessness ; 
that he was nothing, and could do nothing without God. He 
could neither understand the Word for himself, nor translate 
it into his own life, nor apply it to others with power, unless 
the Holy Spirit became to him both insight and wnction.” 
There is no power which is so potent as the Spirit’s 


ministry through the Word as an inspiration to prayer. We 


cannot ponder the words of the Spirit without being led by 
the Word in the words of the Word to pray. One has well 


said, ‘‘ When the believer uses the Word of God as the guide — 
to determine both the spirit and the dialect of his prayer, © 


he is inverting the process of Divine revelation and using the 


channel of God’s approach to him as the channel of his — a 


approach to God.’’ Let us remember, as George Miiller said, 
‘The Word of God is our only standard and the Holy Spirit 


our only Teacher.” Remembering this practically, we shall — 


always find the Spirit is a Coal of Fire to warm us, and that 


His Word is ever a meal to satisfy us, and we too shall say, © 


‘““T am warm, I have seen the fire.” 


VIII. FrrE CHEERS. — 


Some one has said, ‘‘ A fire is cheerful because it is a live’ 


thing in a dead room.”’ When John saw the glory of heaven, 
among other things there were ‘“‘seven lamps burning before 
the throne,’ which are said to be “ the Seven Spirits of God.” 
The Spirit is represented in His perfection, hence, the spiritual 
perfect number ‘‘ seven’”’ ; and He is seen in all His aliveness, 
for the lamps are ‘‘ burning.” There is a reference to the 
sevenfold designation of the Spirit in Isaiah xi. As the 
‘Spirit of Jehovah,’ He cheers us by His unchanging love ; 
as the ‘‘ Spirit of Wisdom,’ He cheers us by His unfailing 
guidance; as the “ Spirit of Understanding,’ He cheers us 
by His unmistakeable knowledge ; as the “ Spirit of Counsel,”’ 
He cheers us by His uplifting instruction ; as the “ Spirit of 
Might,’’ He cheers us by His unctionizing grace; as the 
“Spirit of Knowledge,’ He cheers us by His unspeakable 


Ce ee 


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2 atu ers Se 
ates SE AE 


ny Pee 
si 


THE Fire. 125 


secrets; and as the “‘ Spirit of the Fear of Jehovah,’ He 
cheers us by crucifying our affections to Himself, for the fear 
indicated is not the fear of festering dread, but the love: of 
filial delight. 
There is a touching story of a collier boy, whose lot it was 
to sit all day in the dark and to open a trap-door to allow the 
trains to pass. He told a gentleman one day that he used to 
beg the candle-ends from the grim colliers as they passed him. 
_ “ And what do you do then ?” He replied, “‘ When I gets a 
light I sings.’”’ As the colliers cheered the boy by the candle- 
ends, which he lighted, so the Spirit comes to us and cheers 
us by the words of our Lord. For instance, think of the six 
“eood cheer’s’”’ of Christ. The good cheer of sins forgiven 
banishes all fear about the past ; the good cheer of His Word 
assures of His imparted life ; the good cheer of His presence 
- saves us from all sinking into the depths ; His good cheer of 
calling beckons on to follow Him ; His good cheer of victory 
imparts to us His victory ; and His good cheer of direction 
points out the way of His will (Matthew ix. 2; ix. 22, R.V. ; 
Biv. 27 <-Mark x. 40, R.V-;. John: xvi. 33 Acts. xxill. 11). 
And as we know His cheer we are able, as the apostle was, 
to pass on the cheer to others (Acts xxvii. 22, 25, 36). 


LX. FIRE FUSES. 


; ‘“‘ Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us 
by the way” (Luke xxiv. 32). Mark it does not say, “ our 
hearts,” but, ‘ our heart.” They were so completely occupied 
with Christ that they lost sight of their misery and them- 
selves, and found their hearts fused into one. Who has not 
seen a heap of iron ore, cold and mixed with the refuse of 
earth. How can the precious metal be separated from the 
stony matrix, and be made one glowing mass ? Only in one 
way. Fling the ore into the furnace and let the fire, fanned by 
a powerful draught, play upon it, till the dross and rubbish 
are parted from the metal, then let the latter run off a golden 
and fiery stream, and it will be shaped by the mould into which 
it is directed. The love of God is a fire to soften the hardness 
of the heart, to separate the precious from the vile, and to 

fuse us into a glowing mass. Many are trying to get the 


T3268 EMBLEMS OF THE HoLy Spirit. 


‘metal of love from the stony matrix of their own heart by 
the hammer and chisel of their own endeavour, and they 
never succeed. The baptism of love is the fire to melt and 
fuse into glowing action and loving act. ‘I cannot love my 
daughter-in-law,” said a saint to me, as I knelt beside her. 
She was seeking the fulness of the Spirit’s power in a Con- — 
vention at Beulah Park, Ohio. ‘No,’ I replied, “ you 


cannot.” ‘‘I have tried again and again.” “Yes, but you © 


- cannot, and will not succeed, and I would therefore give it 
up.” “But,” she exclaimed, “is it not right to love my 
daughter-in-law ?” “Yes, but you cannot do it with your 
love.’ ‘‘ What do you mean?” ‘I mean, you have tried 
in your effort and with your love to love your daughter-in- 
law, and upon your own confession have failed. The only 
thing you can do is to abandon yourself to the love of God, 
and let the God of love so fill and flood your heart, that the 
Spirit Himself will love your daughter, and then it will be 
His love and not yours.” She yielded herself up to that love, 
and the consequence was the daughter-in-law soon found out 
the difference in the considerate action, the quiet tongue, and 
the helpful ministry, and she was attracted to the love in the 


mother, and the latter found what had been an insurmount- — - 


able task became a uniting bond. The same is true in Church 
life and in every walk in life. Where the Spirit dominates, | 
He never divides, but always makes an indivisible outcome. 


X. FIRE ASSIMILATES. 


The living creatures in the Book of Ezekiel are said to be 
in ‘‘ their appearance like burning coals of fire, and like the 
appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living 
creatures ; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went 


forth lightning ” (Ezekiel i. 13). They were what they were _ os 
because of the “‘ Spirit’ which was “in them” (Ezekiel x. 17), 
for He is the ‘IT ”’ which went up and down among them. : 


Matthew Henry says, ‘‘ Fire makes all it seizes like itself.” 
The Spirit takes hold of what we are and makes us what He 
is. ‘‘ Why are your eyes so blue ?” said one to a blue-eyed _ 
child. She replied, ‘“‘ I guess it is because I looks up to the 


blue sky.” The blue of heaven was seen in the eyes of earth. _ “ 


~ 


THE FIRE. a 127 


_- “ Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it 
be done exactly’ (Ezra vii. 23, R.v.) ‘“ Exactly” is the | 
Revised Version, and it expresses more than the “ diligently ” 
of the ordinary version. Exactly, that is, a perfect corre- 
spondence. Thus when Moses was commanded to make the 

- Tabernacle, he was definitely enjoined—‘‘See thou make 
all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the » 
mount ”’ (Hebrews viii. 5). The same principle holds good in 
_ the holy life to which we are called, ‘‘ Like as He Who called 
you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living ; 
~ because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy ” (1. Pet. 
i. 15, 16,R.V.) Because we are holy in Christ, we are expected 
to be holy in all manner of conversation, and this is possible 
as the unction of the Holy One rests upon us. “I want to 
___be clean within,’’ cried a fashionable dressed young woman, 

as she in soul-agony was endeavouring to get back to the 
Lord. There was a defiling presence which debarred the 
presence of the Lord. The heart must be cleansed before 
there can be ‘‘ the incoming Spirit in His fulness.” A man 
was diligently rubbing at a window-pane, and being short- 
sighted, did not see that the dirt was on the inside, till someone 
shouted to him, ‘‘ The window is dirty. inside.’ When the 
inside—the heart—is cleansed, then the light streams into the 
room, and makes it luminous. John the Baptist was a bright | 
and shining lamp—‘‘ He was the lamp that burneth and 
shineth ”’ (John v. 35, R.V.) The cause of his brightness and 
_ burning is found in the Holy Spirit, for he was filled with Him 
from his birth (Luke i. 15). Would that it could be said, that 
from the spiritual birth of every child of God he is filled with 
the Spirit. He alone can make us like Himself, and He will 
if we will let Him. : 


XI. FIRE TESTS. 


When the Lord appeared to the seven Churches His 
searching eyes are said to be “a flame of fire’”’ (Revelation 
i. 14); when believers are made manifest at the judgment 
seat of Christ, their works will go through a baptism of fire, 
to test their quality (1. Corinthians ii. 13-15); and the 
Lord tests the faith of His people, that its reliability and 


~ 


See x 


128 EMBLEMS OF THE HoLy SPIRIT. 


strength may be made known (I. Peter i. 7). Work, faith 


and character are the three things which are tested in the 
above Scriptures. Let us look at the testing of faith and see 
how the Spirit puts it under pressure. Every cable which is 
used for the anchor on board British ships is put under great 
hydraulic strain, and when it stands the standard gauge, it is 
stamped by the Board of Trade as being fit for service. The 
Lord qualifies His servants by the fire of trial. He tests our 
faith to find out its genuineness, whether we are like the 
children of Ephraim, who “‘ turned back in the day of battle,” 
and why ? Because they ‘‘ kept not the covenant of God” 
(Psalm Ixxviii. 9, 10). He tests our faith to manifest its 
degree, to see if we have “so great faith” like the Centurion’s 
(Matthew viii. 10), a “ great faith” like the Syro-phenician 
woman’s (Matthew xv. 28), or only a “‘little faith” like 
Peter’s (Matthew xiv. 31). And He tests our faith that we 
may become more fruitful, and that He may reward in the 
future. 


“Ts not the way to heavenly gain through earthly grief and loss ? 
Rest must be won by toil and pain. The crown repays the Cross. 
As woods when shaken by the breeze, take deeper, firmer root, 

As winter’s frosts but: make the trees abound in summer fruit; _ 
So every Heaven-sent pang and throe, that Christian firmness tries, 
But nerves us for our work below, and forms us for the skies.”’ 


XII. FrRE ILLUMINATES. 


“He led them... . all the night with a light of fire”’ 
(Psalm Ixxviii. 14). The luminosity of His presence was their 
joy and warmth. Very suggestive is the expression “light of 
fire.’ We must have the luminosity of the Spirit if we would 
be luminaries for the Lord. The light of a joyful face comes 
from the kindling communion of the Lord’s presence, as 
Moses’ face demonstrates (Exodus xxxiv. 35); the light of 
an intelligent expression, comes from the fire of the Spirit’s 
illumination as Paul expresses (Eph. i. 17, 18) ; the light of 
a kindly heart is the outcome of the flame of Christ’s love, as 
Mary of Bethany illustrates (John xu. 3) ; the light of a 
beaming hope is resultant from an inspiring revelation, as 
Abraham unfolds (Hebrews xi. 8-10) ; the light of a shining 


¢ om 
> ie 
a 


THE Fire. 129 


countenance comes from the inward feeder of the Spirit’s 


blessing, as Stephen shows (Acts vi. 15); the light of a burn- 


ing zeal has its source in the flame of the glowing Word, as 
Jeremiah declares (Jeremiah xx. 9) ; and the light of a faithful 
testimony is ignited at the altar of Christ’s consuming 
sacrifice, as the early Christians manifest (Acts viii. 4, 5). | 
One of the outcomes of a Spirit-filled life is a new illu- 
mination to understand God’s Word. A sister in New York 
tersely put it, when she said, ‘‘ His Word is a new book now, 
and what was uninteresting and difficult is easy and soul- 
absorbing.”. When He shines within by a new revelation, we 
have eyesight to see the truth of what is already revealed. 


XIII. FrRE MOVES. 


“Who maketh .... His ministers a flaming fire’ (Psalm 
civ. 4), or a “ kindling ’”’ or “ blazing flame.’ The flaming 
tongue is the product of the kindling Spirit. He gives— 
‘Tongues of fire and hearts of love, 
To preach the reconciling Word.’’ 
The following too sadly illustrates what we find in too many 
Churches. A minister describes his experience in the follow- 
_ing allegorical language :— 

“A man had a factory! 

“ He walked round the outside and then walked round the 
inside. There were the shafts, all properly set, the cogs, all 
sharp and clean, the great engine all complete. The machinery 
was all there, but it didn’t move a spoke. 

“He was looking disgustedly at the factory when a man_ 
came up and said, ‘ Your factory >’? ‘ Yes,’ he replied. 

‘“““ What do you make?’ ‘That’s the trouble: I don’t 
make anything.’ . 

©) Doesn't it run 2): *' No,’ 

“““What’s the matter with it >? ‘I don’t know.’ 

““ Ah,’ said the man, ‘ Pll tell you ; you want to get some 
hook-nosed oil-cans, and some imported oil,’ and he employed 
_men to go round and oil the machinery and all the bearings. 

“Then he came down again, walked round inside and 
outside. Nothing moved. A man came up to him and said, 
‘ Your factory ?? ‘ Yes,’ he replied. y 


130 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


“What do you make?’ ‘ Don’t make anything.’ 
a ON tc 4t TUNG Occ awOs: | 
‘“‘¢ What’s the matter ?? ‘I don’t know.’ 


“Tl tell you; you want to fresco it—side walls and 


ceiling—and I would recommend you to put a couple of bare- 
footed angels with trumpets eternally ready to blow—and do 
it properly.’ 

‘“So he put workmen in and frescoed the factory, putting 
a couple of angels on the ceiling, with trumpets at their lips 
ready to blow. 

“Then he came down and looked it over again, but still 
it did not move, and while he was looking a man came up 
and said, ‘ Your factory ?’ ‘ Yes.’ 

““* What do you make ?’ ‘ Nothing.’ 

‘CCWhy 2: Don tit run ?’.- No,’ 

‘““« What’s the matter ?? ‘I don’t know.’ 

““« Ah” said he ‘I'll tell you. It has no steeple. You 


want to put up a nice steeple on one of the corners, and Pde: 
advise you to put in a fine pipe-organ, and get a quartette 


choir at the same time.’ 

‘So he set men to work, got the steeple up, with a chime 
- of bells that was marvellous, put in a pipe-organ with lots of 
pipes, got a quartette choir that would beat anything you 
ever heard, specially on the ‘ Amen.’ 

‘Then the man came down, saw the steeple and the 


organ, and heard the choir and the chimes. But not a thing 


moved. 
‘“« This your factory ?’ said a man who came up. ‘Yes.’ 
““* What do you make ?’ ‘ Nothing.’ <i 


“*« What’s the matter 2’ ‘ Don’t know.’ 
“© Toes it run ?’ ‘* No.’ 


CAN he said, ‘ you want a eee of the thing taken. 


Get a photographer to take a picture, have a lot of big copies 
made and framed and hung up all round—in the railway 
stations, in the hotels, in the barbers’ shops, and so on, telling 
all about the time the thing is expected to move. Say it will 


move at 11 o’clock in the morning and 7 o’clock at night, and - 


the people will come to see it move.’ 


PS 
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THE FIRE, “ T3r7- 


“So he got a great big picture taken, and had copies hung 
up at all the places the man told him about. : 


“ Then he came down, walked round inside and out ; ‘but 
couldn’t see a hair moving. He was perfectly disgusted. 
Not a cog trembled ! 


“ Just then a working man came up, a hard-handed man. 
He took off his hat—he was very polite—and said, ‘ Beg 
_ pardon, sir, is this your factory 
ac Who told you to ask me that ?’ grunted the owner of 
the factory. 


“ “ Beg pardon, but is that your factory ?’ repeated the 
man. ‘ Yes,’ 


“ “What do you make ?? ‘ Don’t make anything.’ 


“ “Don’t it run?’ ‘Run! No, it don’t run at all—except . 
into debt !’ 


=), What's the matter, sir 2” .."I don’t know. A°man 
told me to get. some hook-nosed oil-cans—and there they are. 
Another man told me to fresco it, and put in a couple of 
angels. I frescoed it, and if you will come in and have a look 
you will see two bare-footed angels on the ceiling ready to 
blow their trumpets. : 


~ “ Another man told me to put on a steeple, to get a pipe- 
_ organ, to engage a quartette choir, and I did. Do you hear 
those chimes ? See that organ ? Listen to that choir chasing 
that “Amen” up and down! Another man told me to get 
a photograph taken and hung up. I have hung itup! But 
the machinery don’t move a spoke, and I am disgusted with 
the whole business.’ | 


" * Well,’ said the working man, ‘ pardon me, sir. I have 
never been to school, and I don’t know anything about those - 
angels ; but I would like to ask you one question: Did you 
ever put any fire under the boiler ?’ 


“Why, I never thought of that.’ 


“* Well, said the working man, “it you will take the 
chances—it will scare the choir, likely—I will put some fire 
under the boiler.’ 


132 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


“<Oh, said the man, ‘go ahead. Move it somehow. 
Make something of it, if it’s only ashes !’ 

“So the working man went inside, took off his coat, 
opened the door of the furnace, put in the wood, threw on the 
petroleum, put in the coal, lighted a match, got the fire going, 
set on the draughts, shovelled in some more coal, and pulled 
back the throttle valves. The steam rushed into the cylinder, 
hit the end of the piston rod, the great wheel began to tremble, 
it revolved, and the machinery all over the factory began to 
move. A little more coal—and more—and more—and more, 
while faster—and faster—and faster went the machinery. 
The quartette choir got scared, and went out of the back door. 
The whole machinery was moving. Something had happened. 
Praise the Lord !’’ . | 

- Some few years ago I related the above in one of the 
most fashionable places of worship in Philadelphia. At the 
close of the service, the Secretary of the Church said to me, 
“Mr. Marsh, without knowing it, you have described the sad 
condition of the Church here. We are rich financially, but 
poor spiritually ; as you see we have a palatial building and 
a fashionable congregation. We have a professional paid 
quartette and a skilled organist, but none of them are con- 
verted. Everything about the church building is elaborate 
and expensive, but there are no conversions, and the majority 
don’t want them. Your sermon would displease many, but 
the spiritually-minded would thank God for it. We want the 


fire of the Holy Spirit to burn up the rubbish, and to move 


the machinery of the Church. Pray for us.” 

Not knowing the inner life of the Church I was not in a 
position to say whether the statements were absolutely cor- 
rect, although the brother spoke in no fault-finding way, but 
as one who had a burden on his heart. This one thing we all 
need to ask ourselves, ‘““AmI right? Is my life adjusted to 
the Spirit? Is my heart pure? Am I living to God’s 
glory ? Am I filled with the Spirit ? Does the fire of His 
love glow in my heart ? Does His grace beautify my char- 
acter? Has His gentleness made me great ? Am I moved 
as I look on the great mass of heathendom ? Have I kept 
back part of the price? Does Christ dwell in my heart ? 


THE FIRE. | . 133 
Do I love my brethren with a pure heart fervently? Am I 


sweet in temper, righteous in business, and loving in the 
home? Do I lift up the fallen ?” 


XIV. FIRE ASCENDS. 


The burnt-offering is sometimes called ‘‘ the ascending 
offering,’ because the word “‘ holah’’ means to ascend. There 
are many words for ‘“‘ burn’’ in the Old Testament. There 
are two words found in relation to the sin and burnt-offerings. - 
The word for burn in connection with the sin-offering means 
to utterly consume as with fiery judgment (Leviticus iv. 12). 
and is frequently so used (Isaiah i. 7; Genesis xxxvill. 24 ; 
Joshua vii. 15) ; but the word which is connected with the 
burnt-offering means to burn as incense and then to ascend 
as fragrance, hence, the word in its several relations is ren- 
dered “‘ burn incense’”’ (1. Chronicles xxi. 13), “‘ perfumed ”’ 
(Canticles iii. 6). The word “ burnt-offering”’ also might be 
rendered ‘‘ ascending-offering.”’ The word is rendered “ as 
cent’’ (1. Kings x. 5), and “go up” (Ezekiel xl. 26). The 
Spirit of God is not only the Spirit of Burning to consume, but 
He is also the Spirit of worship to make our priestly service 
well-pleasing to the Lord. The Apostle Paul was attracted by 
the ‘‘ prize of the high calling’ without, and was fired by the 
holy impulse of the Spirit within, hence, he was the man he 
was. ‘‘ The high calling of God in Christ ’”’ might be rendered 
‘the upward calling’ (Philippians ii. 14). The Greek word 
‘ano,’ rendered ‘‘ high,’ means upward or that which is on 
the top. The word is translated “‘ bvim”’ in speaking of the 
water-pots filled to the top (John ii. 7), “ above’ where Christ 
says, ‘‘I am from above” (John viii. 23), and “ up’’ when 
Christ is said to lift ‘‘ up His eyes’’ (John xi. 41). Paul also 
uses the word twice in his letters to the Colossians, when he 
exhorts the saints to ‘‘ seek those things which are above,”’ and 
to set their “‘ affection on things above’’ (Colossians ili. I, 2). 
' This upward life is the result of the ascending grace of the 
Spirit. He fixes our affection Christward, and causes the 
mind to have communion with Him. It is said that Michael 
Angelo, after painting the Sistine ceiling, found the habit of 
looking upward so natural that he could not read a book ‘or 


pt 


Snag apiiraeclia 
Adeeb 


et 


sy 


ee 3 Thon: “Who as ear icon above, 
The pure celestial fire to impart, 
lRinale a flame of sacred love | 
On the mean altar of my heart. 


hee “ There let it for Thy glory burn 
With inextinguishable blaze, 
And trembling to its source return _ 
‘In humble prayer and fervent praise.” 


| Syllabus of ee 
The Rain as an Emblem of the Holy Spirit. 


The three rains of Palestine: winter, latter, and former. 


rains (Hosea vi. 3)—The threefold work of the Spirit—The 


coloured man’s prayer—I. The rain as a minster of judgment 
—The Lord’s dealing in chastisement—‘‘ Weak”: a sevenfold 
loss—“‘ Sickly”’: sickness often caused by sin—‘‘ Sleep” : 
cases in point—Why the woman thrashed the boy—II. The 
vain a bringer of blessing—A wonderful promise (Leviticus 
XXvi. 3-12)—A bunch of “I will’s’”—Rain: a hand which 
proclaimed its coming—“ The vision was upon him ’’—Rain 


is timely in its arrival: “in His season ’’ (Deut. xxviii. 12)— 
“In due time” and “fully come’’—Seven alls—Rain is 
nourishing in its ministry: “the rain doth nourish”’ (Isaiah 


xliv. 14)—Use of the word “ nourish ”’—Rain is refreshing in 
its blessing (Isaiah lv. 10)—Brainerd on a life of fellow- 
ship—Rain is plentiful in its supply (Psalm Ixviii. 9)—The 
two women and their different sized jugs. 


THE RAIN. 


E shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and 
, H former rain upon the earth”’ (Hosea vi. 3). Rother- 
ham’s translation is, ““ That He may come upon us like a 
downpour, like the harvest rain and the seed rain of the 
land.” There is a similar verse in Joel ii. 23: ‘‘ He hath 
given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to - 
“come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter 
rain in the first month.” There are three Hebrew words for | 
the rains, as Dr. Geikie remarks, ‘‘ of different seasons, and 
these, very strikingly, are all found in one verse in Hosea. 


_ He will come unto us as the heavy winter rain (Geshem), as 


135 


136 EMBLEMS OF THE HoLry Spirit. 


the latter rain (Malkosh), and the former rain (Yoreh) upon — 
the earth—come, that is, in fulness of blessing, like the triple 
rainfall that covers the earth with corn. In Joel, also, the 
three occur together. ‘‘ He will cause to come down for you 
the heavy winter rain (Geshem), the early rain (Moreh), and 
the latter rain (Malkosh) as in former times, and the floors 
shall be full of wheat.’’ The translation of the beautiful 
description of spring in Canticles 1. II is not true to nature, 
for the flowers appear on the earth, and the time of the 
singing of birds comes, at least six weeks before the rain is 
over and gone. It is when the heavy winter rain ceases, and 
the warm spring weather begins, that the flowers appear, 
but it is precisely during this time that, at intervals, the latter 
rain falls. ... The first, or early rain, moistens the land, fitting A 
it for the reception of seed, and is thus the signal for the a 
commencement of ploughing. It generally begins in October . 
or November, falling at intervals till December. The plentiful — 
winter tains which soak the earth, fill the cisterns and pools, 
and replenish the springs, come, also at intervals, from the : 

middle of December to March. The latter, or spring rain, . 
which fills out the ears of corn, enables it to withstand the 
drought before harvest, lasts, with light rains between, 


from the middle of March till the rains finally cease in April =. 
or May.” Be 
i There are four Sedna words for rain. First, a general a 
one, as found in Deuteronomy xxxii. 2: “ My doctrine shall x 


drop as the rain.” Second, ‘“ Yoreh’”’ and “ Moreh,” which 
are used to express the former rain, which is necessary to 
prepare the ground for ploughing and seed-planting. “ Yoreh” 
is rendered “‘ first rain’ in Deuteronomy xi. 14, and “‘ former” 
in Jeremiah v. 24; “ Moreh”’ is translated “the rain” in 
Psalm Ixxxiv. 6, and “ former rain” in Joel il. 23. 

‘““Geshem”’ is the word used of the heavy winter rains, 
and is rendered ‘‘ great rain” and “much rain” in Ezra 
x. 9, 13, and is used to describe the rain of the flood, and is Re 
translated ‘‘ shower”? in Ezekiel xiii. II, 13 ; xxxiv. 26. ABs 
word signifies an abundance. a 

‘“‘ Malkosh’’ is always rendered “latter vain” in all the 
eight places where it occurs (Deuteronomy xi. 14; Job 


THE RAIN. | 139- 


xxix. 23; Proverbs xvi. 15 ; Jeremiah iii. 3; v. 24; Hosea 
vi. 3; Joel ii. 23; Zechariah x. I). 

The three rains are very suggestive in their spiritual 
application, as we think of them in their natural setting. 
The former rain finds its correspondence in the Spirit’s initial 
work of conviction. He must prepare the heart for the 
plough of God’s Word to break up the fallow ground of a 
degenerate condition, and plant within it the life-producing © 
seed of the truth; then there is the requisite supply of the 
abundance of the Spirit’s mighty power, that every want in 
the life may be filled up ; and then there is the essential work 
of the quiet operation of the Spirit in bringing to perfection 
- the full character of a consecrated life in the Spirit, that the 
full fruit of Himself may be seen. 

How many there are who fail to have the latter rain 
which is productive of a full Christian life, because they have 
not had the abundant supply of the overflowing shower of 
the Spirit’s inundating grace. Do we not need to pray for 
the abundant and latter rain ? A coloured man in a prayer 
meeting, which had been convened to pray for rain, prayed 
the following prayer: ‘‘ We pray for rain, Lord, for rain we 
pray. We don’t pray for a drizzling, fizzling rain, but for a 
regular down-comer, gully-washer, and ground-soaker !” 
When we are willing for the Lord to fulfil His promise to send 
the abundant rain of His power, and the fructifying shower 
of His grace, He always soaks us with His love, There are 
no half measures with God, because our God is no God of 
half measures. 

In calling attention to rain as an emblem of the Holy 
_ Spirit, we shall note its association in God’s Word. 


I. RAIN IS A MINISTER OF JUDGMENT. 


Sometimes the absence of rain is a sign of God’s judgment 
_ against sin, hence, in the time of Ahab’s wicked reign, there 
was no rain for three and a half years (1. Kings xvii. 1), and 
Solomon recognized in his prayer that the absence of rain 
might be “ because they have sinned” (I. Kings vill. 35 ; 
11. Chronicles vi. 26; vii. 13). On the other hand a 
devastating rain causing disaster and dismay was a sign of 


138 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy Spirit. 


God’s judgment, as in the case of the F lood, when “ the rain 
(the ee rain) was upon the earth forty days and. forty 


nights’ (Genesis vii. 12). Of the rain of hail which came 


down upon Egypt in judgment, it is said, ‘‘ There was none 
like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation” 
(Exodus ix. 23, 24, 34). In the days of Samuel the prophet 
_ he called for the great rain, which did not usually come in the 
time of harvest, because of the people’s “‘ wickedness,” and 
the consequence was, “ the people greatly feared the Lord of 
Samuel” (1. Samuel xii. 17, 18). Against Israel’s great 


enemy, Gog, in the latter times, the Lord declares, ““I will 
rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people 


that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, 


fire, and brimstone ”’ (Ezekiel xxxviiil. 22) ; and of the man 


who in his self-confidence will not build upon the Rock of 


Christ and His Word, but in his self-confidence builds upon 
the sand of his self-sufficiency, we read: “ Everyone that 
heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, he shall — 
be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the © 


sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the 
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great 
was the fall of it’’ (Matthew vii. 26, 27). 

The Holy Spirit often has to deal in judgment with God’s 


children. He does not deal in judgment with us to our — 
condemnation as sinners, but He does deal with us in chastise-. 
ment to our cleansing as saints. We have an impressive 


example in His dealing with “many’’ in the Church at 
Corinth, of whom we read: “ For this cause many are weak 
and sickly among you, and many sleep. For af we would 
judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are 
judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be 
condemned with the world.’ (1. Corinthians xi. 30-32). Mark 


the three words which describe the condition of the capsnegat . 


dd 66 


saints—‘‘ weak,” “sickly,” “sleep.” 

““ Weak’ denotes loss of power, spiritual weakness. There 
is always a cause for spiritual weakness. There are many 
kinds of power which may be lost. The power of consecration 
will be lost by compromise, as Abram found when he went 


down to Egypt, instead of staying with God in Bethel (Gen. — 


a) 


Re Rhcaiech ays Roach eat falar 


f 
te iene rita Sa 


a 
ce 
pie 
Bs 
aa 
Bs 
at 
peat 
nN 
2 
ri 
= 


s 


x 


5 


sins 
te ae 
Ss eine a 


5 
oot 

ERSTE Ss Bat a tee Saat 

Pe ae ee PE eee oe 


x Soe Se 


Tue Rar. | | 139 


xii. 10; xiii. 1-4); the power of testimony will be lost by 
worldly association, as Lot discovered in Sodom, when he was 
rebuked by the Sodomites (Genesis xix. 9, 14) ; the power of 
a clear conscience will be lost by self-scheming, as Jacob 
found, when he was haunted by his wrong against his brother 
Esau (Genesis xxxii. 6-8) ; the power of victory will be lost by 
fleshly indulgence, as Samson experienced when he lost his 
locks of power, through lying in the lap of Delilah (Judges 
“xvi. 16-21) ; the power of faith will be lost by trusting in the 
human instead of the Divine, as Jehoshaphat illustrates when 
he joined affinity with Ahab (t. Chronicles xviii.) ; how 


_ different was the case when he trusted the Lord and got the 


victory over Ammon and Moab (11. Chronicles xx.) ; the power 
of joy will be lost by sin, as David discovered when he lost the 
joy of God’s salvation through his wrong doing with Bath- 
sheba (Psalm li. 12. See title of Psalm) ; and the fower of 
unity will leak out, as is demonstrated in the case of the 
Church at Corinth, by their sectional action, their party 
spirit, the big head of pride, allowance of evil, quarrelsome 
contentions, and carnality of disposition (1. Cor. i. II-13 ; 
Soil. I-45 Vv. 630 Vi. 1-7). 

The many at Corinth were not only “ weak’ in spiritual 
power, but some were “sickly.” The sickness was un- 


-_ doubtedly bodily sickness. Sickness may arise from consti- 


- tutional causes, from contact with infection or contagion, 
but in many instances with God’s children, I do not say ail, 
the cause may be permissable in discipline. There are many 
promises of protection from sickness and disease to God’s 
children, such as the gist Psalm; and He promised Israel 
none of the diseases of Egypt should come upon them if they 
obeyed Him, which implied on the other hand, they would 
come upon them if they failed to obey Him (Exodus xv. 26). 
It may be said believers in Christ are not under law, but 
under grace ; but we are under the Lord, and therefore have 
greater responsibility, because we have greater privileges. 
There are two things we are not to do with His judicial act in 
 chastisement, we are not to despise it by self-assertiveness 
and non-recognition, and we are not to faint under it through 
_ discouragement and fear, but to remember the end in view, 


I40 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


“namely, to prevent the cause and to yield the peaceable fruits 
of righteousness (Hebrews xii. 5-II). i 
Yet another act in the discipline is stated in the case of 


the Corinthians, ‘‘ Many sleep.” The sleep here is the sleep of 
death. The earthly life of usefulness was cut short. Parallel 


cases may be those of Ananias and Sapphira, and the brother 
mentioned ini. John v. 16. Many a Christian worker has had 
the candlestick of his testimony removed or put out because 
of disloyalty to his Lord. 

The Lord often seems to deal in a hard manner with His 
children, while He leaves the worldling to his sin and folly. 
Two boys on one occasion were splashing themselves with 
mud, as they jumped up and down in some pools of filthy 
water. Their clothes were being spoiled, and they made them- 
selves liable to take cold by being wet. Suddenly a woman 
rushed out of a house near by, and took hold of one of the 
boys, and commenced to trounce him severely, to his pain 
and distress. When she finished, and the boy was sobbing 
off to bed to think over the situation, she was asked, 


‘“Why did you not thrash the other boy?’ “Oh! he is_ ‘ ay 


nothing to me. He is not my boy, the other was.” The 
mother’s love expressed itself vigorously in the needed 
personal application, although it made her heart bleed sorely, 
because the boy was her own. So the Lord in the love of 
His heart’s care, often has to give us the rod’s share. It 
hurts Him to hurt us, but we should be more hurt if we 
were not hurt. He hurts to heal and not to harm. He 
sifts to winnow away the chaff, and to conserve the wheat. 
He frowns to make us smile. He takes away to give us more. 
He burns to bless.. He kills to make alive. He chastens to 
make us chaste. 


II. RAIN, A BRINGER OF BLESSING. 


One of the promises of God to Israel, upon their obedience 
to His Word, was: ‘‘ If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My 
commandments, and do them; then I will give you rain in 
due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the 
trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing 


shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto © 


” 


THE RAIN. I4I 


the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and 
dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, 
and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and 
_ y will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword. 
go through your land. And ye shall chase your enemies, and 
they shall fall before you by the sword. And five of you shall 
chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten 
thousand to flight : and your enemies shall fall before you by. 
the sword. For I will have respect unto you, and make you 3 
fruitful, and multiply you, and establish My covenant with 
you. And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old 
because of the new. And I will set My tabernacle among 
you: and My soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk 
among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be My people ” 
(Leviticus xxvi. 3-12). Here are seven “ T will’s’”’ of precious 
and pregnant promises, which are fulfilled in the life of 
obedience. 

The ‘I will” of Abundance— I will give you rain in due 
season, and the land shall yield her increase.” The produc- 
tiveness of the Spirit is always secured when there is the 
| practice of God’s commands. Precepts fulfilled will command 
the promises to be filled to the full. 

The “I will” of Peace—‘‘ I will give peace in the land.” 
Encircled in the peace of God, and garrisoned by the God of 
Peace, no disturbing foe can alarm us and no distressing care 

can harm us, for they must pass Him before they can reach 
us. 

The “I will” of Extermination—“ I will rid evil beasts 
out of the land.” The evil beasts of pride, impurity and 
selfishness cannot be allowed to prowl around in the land of 
the Spirit-possessed heart. taht 

The ‘I will” of Love— I will have respect unto VOU: 

The “I will” of Presence—‘I will set My tabernacle — 
among you.” : 

The “I will” of Power—‘ I will walk among you.” 

The “I will” of Fellowship—‘ And will be a God unto 
you,” &c, ; 

Rain: a hand which proclaimed tts coming. “There: is 
the sound of abundance of rain,” said the man of faith to the 


142 | EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirir. 


wicked Ahab, when there was no visible sign of it. Then with — 


head bowed between his knees, he prayed in the intensity 
of earnest supplication (James vy. 18) till the answer came. 
Seven times he told his servant to go and look and see if 


there were any rain clouds visible. At last he came and said, — 


" There was the sign of a cloud like a man’s hand,” which 
was the precursor of the “great rain” which followed 
(1. Kings xviii. 41-45). The cloud like a man’s hand, and the 
prophetic word of Elijah coupled itself in my mind with a 
‘greater blessing and other hands. I refer to the uplifted 
hands, the pierced hands of Calvary, which were held over 
His disciples as Christ told them of the coming of the Holy 
Spirit. Those pierced and raised hands of Calvary’s Lord, 
were the guarantee of the shower of the Spirit’s rain of 


blessing. The Calvary of Christ’s atonement brought the . 


Pentecost of the Spirit’s bestowment. The pierced hands 
of Jesus secured for us the powerful hands of the Spirit’s 
equipment. 

Ralph Connor describes one of his characters, having a 


PI ae tol 


‘ 
ote 


. 4s eer 
* ye SN a re er RATS 
Ke Ms) aes ee a ee aS 2c in 


= 


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COR WP ahaa 
a ert SF 


= rs ey 
Raia! hen 2 


2 ‘ pe . = 
De EO tee TE 
= nt Cn Oysct . he “ bates = ae 


terrible conflict with himself as he pleaded in prayer that he _ a 


might avenge himself against one who had done his brother 
a grievous injury, and upon whom he wanted vengeance. 


“Let me go, O Lord! Let me go!” He pleaded now © 


in Gaelic and again in English. ‘Let not this man be 
escaping his just punishment. Grant me this, O Lord! 
Let me smite him but once!’ Then after a pause came the 
words, ‘ Vengeance is Mine, saith the Lord! Vengeance is 
Mine!’ Ay, it is the true word! But, let not this man of 
Belial, this Papist, escape!’ Then again, like a refrain, 
would come the words, “ Vengeance is Mine, Vengeance is 
Mine ”’ in ever-deeper agony, till throwing himself on his face, 
he lay a long time. 


Suddenly he arose to his knees and so remained, looking - 


steadfastly before him into the woods. The wind came 
sighing through the pines with a wail and a sob. Macdonald 
fell on his face again. The Vision was upon him. “ Ah, 
Lord, it is the bloody hands and feet I see. It is enough. ... 
It is not forme. The Lord will do His own work.” 
As the Lord Jesus ever reminded His own of the necessity 


Tue Raw. 143 


of His death to secure the Spirit’s blessing (John iii. 14, 15 : 
vii. 37-39) ; so the Spirit ever leads us back to that death 


for inspiration and-incentive, for that death is not only the 
killer of all hate, as illustrated in Macdonald Bhain, it is the 
securer of all blessing, the igniter of all holiness, the essence 
of all love, the soul of all sacrifice, and the bliss of all joy. 
Rain ts tmely in tts arrival. “ The Lord shall open unto 
thee His good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy 
land in His season, and to bless all the work of thy hand” 
(Deuteronomy xxviii. 12; Leviticus xxvi. 4; Deuteronomy 
xi, 14). “In his season,” or as in other places, ‘‘in due 
season,’ that is, at the appointed time. The Lord’s blessings 
are always on time and timely. This is true in nature, for 
He gives to all “ their meat in due season”’ (Psalm civ. 27) ; 
at the appointed time Christ, as the provision of God’s grace, 
died to atone for sin, for we read, ‘‘ In due time Christ died for 


_the ungodly ’’ (Romans v. 6) ; and of the day of Pentecost we 


read, ‘“‘ When ‘it’ was fully come’”’ (Acts ii. 1), the disciples 
were “‘ all filled with the Holy Ghost.’ We do not need now 
to wait for a Pentecost, for Pentecost is waiting on us. The 


Spirit is ready with His grace to bless, waiting with His 


power to equip, efficient in His strength to overcome, and 
standing to supply every need. One of the most remarkable 
passages of God’s Word is 11. Corinthians ix. 8, II (verses 9 
and 10 are a parenthesis): ‘‘ It is the passages of the seven 
alls.’ It might be paraphrased as follows :—‘‘ God is able 
to make—- 


“ All grace to abound towards you, that ye having at 
ne all. times, 
all-sufficiency, in 
all emergencies, may abound in- 
all good work. Being enriched in 
all things to | 
all bountifulness.”’ 


Rain 1s nourishing in tts minisivy. “ He planteth an ash 
and the rain doth nourish it” (Isaiah xliv. 14). The ministry 
of heaven’s rain maketh the trees of earth to grow by its 


nourishment. The Hebrew word ‘“ nourish’? means to 


144 EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


become great. It is rendered ‘“‘ make great” in Genesis xii. 2 : 
“ magnified” in 1. Chronicles xxix. 25, and Psalm lxix. 30; 
“grow’’ in Numbers vi. 5; “advanced” in Esther x. 2; 
“ excellent’’ in Isaiah xxviii. 29, and “‘ increased ”’ in Isaiah 
ix. 3. The Spirit alone, by means of His Word, is the One 
Who can make us great in spiritual things. He can “ make 
us great’ in faith as He did Abraham; He can cause us to 
be “magnified” by a consecrated life, as He magnified 
Solomon with “ royal majesty,” for there is no royalty to be 
compared to a holy character ; He can develop the graces of 
His grace, which shall make us powerful in influence, even as 
the locks of the Nazarite’s hair were allowed to “ grow’ to 
his empowerment ; He will surely enable us to advance to 
the higher ground of a waiting prayer-life, even as King 
Ahasuerus “‘ advanced ”’ Mordecai to the place of nearness to 
himself ; He will by His working lead us to the place of 
Christian perfection, and thus bring our character into the 
“excellent ’’ description of His own ideal, which is corre- 
spondence to the truth ; and He will minister to us His joy, 
so that we shall be “increased”’ with the gladness of His 
ennobling joy. p 

Rain ws refreshing in its coming. “In the light of the 
King’s countenance is life; and his favour is as.a cloud of 


the latter rain’’ (Proverbs xvi. 15). The word “favour” f 


means to delight in, and to be well-pleased with. God loves 
all men with the love of compassion, but He only loves His 
obedient children with the love of complacency. The rain of 
the Spirit’s favour can only make us answer to the desire of 
God’s heart. One of His desires is to see the clean face of a 
holy life, and hear the true voice of believing prayer. He 
says : “ Let me see Thy countenance, let me hear Thy voice ; 
for sweet is Thy voice, and Thy countenance is comely ” 


(Song of Solomon ii. 14). Brainerd knew what this life of © 


fellowship was. He writes in his diary: ‘‘ Feeling somewhat 
of the sweetness of communion with God, and the constraining 
force of His love, and how admirably it captivates the soul 
and makes all the desires and affections to centre in God, I 
set apart this day for secret fasting and prayer, to entreat 
God to direct and bless me with regard to the great work 


: eo s 
< Loe he Oe See ae te te. os AY Ss 0. Fh tue ye Se we oP Lng ha ONE bie eas 
Cie OE SM Behe SS oid at pei tee Re as 1s hl in eh edi eeM. 2 Sole oie 2 

pee ate pe aaD iA Fa ee a toe! ¥ a * be, 7 OT rt 


ay Be Sea tete in <r 


O05) HE Ran. oe 145 


- which I have in view of preaching the Gospel. I had little 


life and power in the forenoon. Near the middle of the after- 
noon God enabled me to wrestle ardently in intercession for 
my absent friends, but fust at night the Lord visited mar- 
vellously in prayer. I think my soul was never in such an 
_agony before. I felt no restraint for the treasures of Divine 
grace were opened to me.’ Mark the words I have put in 
italics, for they give the clue to soul refreshment. When the 
Spirit unctionizes with His grace, we are supple in His hands, 
and suppliants to purpose at His throne. | 
Rain ws plentiful in its supply. The Psalmist says: 
* Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby Thou 
_ didst confirm Thine inheritance, when it was weary” (Psalm 
Ixvili. 9). The word “ Alentiful” means copious, and is 
rendered “willing offering” in Exodus xxxv. 29, 
“ voluntary’ in Leviticus vii. 16, and “freely”? in Hosea 
xiv. 4. The Lord is ever ready to give us His blessing freely. 
If we were as willing to be blessed as the Lord is willing to 
bless us we should be blessed indeed. We often grieve the 
Lord by the meanness of our thought about Him, and the 
consequence is there is leanness in our experience. If we 
judge Him according to our conceptions, instead of believing 
the promises of His Word, we shall have an empty larder 
instead of a full cupboard. Two women in the East End of 
London, during a time of great distress, were told to bring 
jugs to receive some nourishing soup. One took a small jug 
and the other a large one. The woman with a small jug said 
to the woman with a large jug, ‘‘ You don’t expect to get that 
jug filled, do you ?” 

~ Yes,’’ was the reply, “ we were told to bring a jug, the 
size was not mentioned.” 3 

‘The women met outside of the soup kitchen and both of 
the jugs were filled. Whereupon the woman with the small 
jug exclaimed, ‘“ Well, well, to think you should have got 
that big jug filled, if I had known it I would have brought a 
big jug too !” | 

“Ah?” replied the other, “ you have to suffer, you see, 


because of your unbelief.” 
: K 


> 
tay of 
* 


L463 EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


He Who loves us freely (Hosea xiv. 4), and Who has 


| forgiven us frankly (Luke vii. 42), and Who has justified us 


freely (Romans iii. 24), bids us take the Water of Life freely 
(Revelation xxi. 6); therefore let us take freely, for then we 
shall have much to give, for as He says, ‘‘ Freely ye have 


received,’ therefore “ freely give’’ (Matthew x. 8). Let us. 


not doubt His willingness to give, but let us ever remember 
the language of faith. ‘‘ He that spared not His own Son, 
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him 


- freely give us all things >?” (Romans Vili. 32). 


“Oh! Spirit of God, Whose voice I hear, 
Sweeter than sweetest music, appealing 
In tones of tenderness and love ; 
Whose comforts delight my soul, and 
Fills the temple of my heart with joy beyond compare. 
I need Thee day by day, and each moment, LORD. 
I sigh for greater likeness _ 
To Him Who loved me unto death, and loves me still. 
’Tis Thine to lead me to Him; ’tis Thine to ope the eye, 
To manifest His royal glories to my longing heart ; 
*Tis Thine the slumbering saint to waken 
And discipline this blood-touched ear 
To hearken to my Heavenly Lover’s voice, 
And quickly speed His summons to obey. 
Oh! Spirit of the mighty God, uplift my faith 
Till Heaven’s precious light shall flood my soul, 
And the shining of my face declare 
That I have seen the face of God.” 


\ 


ee 
Cry 


Oy CE 
Or ANE ial Ae 4 


Y if 


pce Dae dee 
Le ee ey Og ee eee 


~% 


PERE IS ee ey eT ee AP Eee rarn Ce Rit es 


3 Syllabus of - 
‘The Atmosphere as an Emblem of the Holy Spirit. 


~ In the Spirit »—I. The Atmosphere sustains—The water 
spider—Dr. Moffat’s question to the African—II. The Atmo- 
sphere presses—The three times the Spirit is said to “ fall » 
upon ’—Pressing in and pressing out—Question put to 
Christian in House Beautiful—III. The Atmosphere protects— 
The meteor—Works of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit—. 
What the monks did with the endangered organ—IV. The 
atmosphere transmits—Blessing transmitted—Saint who lost 
her peace—Prayers transmitted—Bunyan on prayer—Gospel 
transmitted—How the Spirit performs His work—V. The 
atmosphere reflects—“ He shall show ”—VI.. The atmosphere 
reveals—Seven things the Spirit reveals—How F. R. Havergal 
saw what was needed—Simeon’s, Stephen’s and John’s 
experiences—Boy trying to read sundial by the light of a . 
lantern—VII. The atmosphere revives—Three important tenses 
—Dr. Moule on Ephesians v. 18—Why the supply of water 
ceased. 


THE ATMOSPHERE. 


HAT is the highest form of expression which covers 
all the work of the Holy Spirit ? It is the sentence 


“IN THE SPIRIT.” 


The Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Adoption is in every believer, 
but it is not every believer who is in the Spirit. Paul said 


_ of the saints at Ephesus, that in Christ they were sealed with 


the Holy Spirit (Ephesians i. 13), and yet he urges them to be 
“filled with the Spirit,” or more correctly, “ be, being filled 
in the Spirit.” The Spirit is here viewed, not as filling to the 
full, as the water from the jug fills the glass, but as an element 
in which the saints were to move, as the fish in the sea, Or as 
the bird in the air. As the air fills the lungs because we are 
in the air,so the Holy Spirit, as we are environed by Him, not 


only fills the lungs of our spiritual being, but He environs to 
: 147 


_ did it. The native replied, ‘““I love Him, Whom missionary 


148. + EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


our protection. The atmosphere which surrounds our earth 
is a beautiful and suggestive emblem of the Spirit’s protection 
and grace. Let us think of what the atmosphere is and does — 
as portraying the person and work of the Spirit. : 


"eH THE ATMOSPHERE SUSTAINS. :) 


The atmosphere is absolutely essential for the Sicten ee 
of natural life. The breathing of the air yields us three- 
- quarters of our nourishment, while the other quarter is sup- 
plied by the food, solid and liquid. The atmosphere is the 


great fund and storehouse of life to plants and animals: its 


carbonic acid is the food of the former and its oxygen is the _ 
nourishment of the latter. Without the carbonic acid the 
whole vegetable kingdom would wither and die, and without — 
the oxygen the blood of the animals would only be serum and 
water. 

What the atmosphere is in the natural world, the Spirit — 
is in the spiritual realm of grace. In the highest sense of the 
word, ‘‘ In Him we live and move and have our being.” The 
water spider makes its nest in the water, but it cannot live 


in the water and yet it does. The spider comes to the surface 5 


of the pond, and with a quick movement captures a globule 
of air, and then puts it in his nest and lives in the air, which 
is in the nest, which is in the water. The child of God, while 
he is in the world, lives in the inner circle of the Spirit. 
There is an incident in the life of the African missionary, 
Dr. Moffat, which illustrates how the saint lives in the Spirit. 


The natives had refused food to Moffat, but in the eveninga _ oe 


Christian native brought him food, and he asked her why she 


serve.” Dr. Moffat asked this Christian how she sustained — a 


the life of God in her spirit, amid such uncongenial surround-. 
ings. She pulled out from her dress a Dutch Testament, and» 
replied, “‘ This is the fountain from which I drink, this is the 
oil which makes my lamp burn, and the food which sustains 
my life.” The word of the Spirit 3 is the saints’ food. As we 


walk in the truth of the Spirit, we walk in the Spirit of Truth, = 


The Word of God is God-breathed (the word “ inspired of 


God” as descriptive of the nature of inspiration means God- “8 4 


THe ATMOSPHERE. wer 149 


breathed, 1. Timothy ii. 16), that is, it is the breath of God. 
So if we want the breath of God, all we have to do is to : 
2 eee ip receive the Word of God. 


II. THE ATMOSPHERE PRESSES. 


If it were not for the pressure of the atmosphere we should 
not be able to keep our position on the earth. The weight of . 
the atmosphere is about one millionth part of the entire 
weight of the earth, and extends about fifty miles above the 
earth’s surface, and it presses upon the earth with a force 
proportionate to its height and density. Itis estimated that the 
atmosphere presses with a weight of 15 Ibs. to every square 
inch of the earth’s surface; therefore its pressure upon the 
body of a middle-sized man is about 32,000 pounds, or 14 
. tons: a pressure which would be intolerable and even fatal 
were it not equal in every part and counterbalanced by the 
spring of the air within. The pressure on the surface of the 
earth of the whole atmosphere, is computed to be equivalent 
to a globe of lead sixty miles in diameter, or about five 
thousand millions of millions of tons. 

There is one expression which only occurs three times in 


connection with the Holy Spirit, which suggests the pressure 


_ of His prevailing presence, and that is, where He is said to 
fall upon individuals. Of the Samaritan believers it is said 
the Spirit had not “ fallen upon”’ them before the apostles 
went down to Samaria (Acts viii. 16) ; of the household of 
Cornelius, while Peter was preaching the Word, ‘“‘ the Holy 
Ghost fe// on them ’’-(Acts x. 44) ; and Peter, in recommending 
what God had done to the household of Cornelius, says: ‘‘ The 
Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning ’’ (Acts 
x1, 15). The word rendered “‘ fell on’ is translated in Mark 
il. 10, “ pressed upon,’ where the multitude is said to have 
_“ pressed upon” Christ to touch Him. 

Studying the context of the above three Scriptures it 
will be noticed, the Holy Spirit came upon those who believed 
in Samaria, but in the case of the household of Cornelius it 
was before they believed. With the disciples at Pentecost, 
they definitely tarried for the enduement of power, but with 
the others there was no such specific waiting. While Peter 


150 _ Empiems or THE Hory Sprrir. 


spake the word He fell upon the household of eoenetn. 
while the apostles prayed for the Samaritans they were 
baptized with the Spirit, and while the disciples tarried, He 
came upon them (Acts vili. 15 ; xi. 15). This goes to show 
the Spirit is an absolute Sovereign, and that we cannot 
command Him as we will, but He will command us as He 
desires. When we submit to the sovereignty of His grace, we 

get the grace of His sovereignty. When He determines upon 
_ the terms of His visitation, it is well for us that we have no 
terms to dictate. 

“He gives the very best to those 
Who leave the choice with Him.’’ 

When the Spirit presses upon us in the grace of His power, 
then self is pressed out of the way and Christ is enthroned in 
the heart ; He presses upon us with the compassion of His 
love, and loves others through us to God ; He presses us into 
the realm of His truth, and conforms us to the make of its 
life ; He presses us with a holy ambition to please God, and 
makes us careless about the pleasing of men; He presses us 
towards the mark of the high calling and fires us with a holy 
determination to obtain its prize; He presses upon us the 
privilege of prayer, and causes us to travail in birth for souls ; 
and He presses us close up to the heart of Christ, and makes 
us satisfied with naught but His complacent love. 


One of the questions which was put to Christian in House 


Beautiful, as represented in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, 
was, “Can you tell me by what means your annoyances 
vanished ?” Christian replied, ‘‘ When I think of what I saw 
at the cross, that will do it ; when I look upon my broidered 
coat, that will do it ; when I look upon the roll I carry in my 
hand, that will do it; and when my thoughts wax warm 
about whither I am going, that will do it.” ’Tis the office of 
the Spirit, as Bunyan suggests, to remind us what we owe to 
the Christ of Calvary, for all our blessings are blood-purchased 
and blood-hued ; He brings to our remembrance what God 
has done for us, in clothing us with the perfection of Christ ; 

He stimulates us by the promises of His Word ; and He 


attracts to the coming of Christ, be makes us one to see. 


Him Whom we love. 


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THE ATMOSPHERE. Th 
III. THE ATMOSPHERE PROTECTS. 


The meteor as it flashes across the sky, leaving its trail of 


light behind, might fill the ignorant with dismay, but to those 


who know, its flash of light is a signal of safety. The meteoric- 
stone as it falls towards the earth comes in contact with the 
atmosphere, the consequence is, there is friction set up by 
the resistance of the atmosphere, and the meteor instead of 
falling to the earth in its compact form, is frittered away into 
dust, which is intimated by the flash of light. 


As the inhabitants of the earth are protected from the 
meteors by the atmosphere, so ‘“ walking in the Spirit we 
shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.” It is with Divine 


- intention that the works of the flesh and the fruit of the 


Spirit are found in vivid contrast in Galatians v. 19-23. There 
is the trinity of hell’s unholy alliance, and the Spirit’s three- 


fold unique production. 


WORKS OF THE FLESH. 


1. Sims against God and Hts 
commandments. 

_ “ Adultery.” Defilement of the 
marriage bed and unholy inten- 
tion (Matthew v. 28). 

“ Fornication.”’ Sins of un- 
cleanness committed by persons 
in the single state. 

‘“* Uncleanness.’’ General name 
for everything that is unchaste 
in thought, word, or deed: such 
as the unclean heart, self-abuse, 
sodomy, and filthy literature. 

“* Lasciviousness.” Wanton- 
ness, impure words, suggestive 
gestures, and unholy sights. 

“ Idolatry.” The worship of 


-anything or anyone other than 


the true God. 

“ Witchcraft.” Prying into the 
unseen, enquiring from the dead, 
spiritism, theosophy, and any real 
or pretended league with the 
devil. 


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LNT aye OY 


Let us briefly note the contrast :— 


FRUIT OF THE SPERIR 


1. Fruit of the Spirit in its 
Godward application. 

‘‘ Love.’ True love has its 
source, sphere and end in God 
Himself. Love is Heaven-born, 
Christ-centralized and  Spirit- 
produced. 

*€ Joy.’ Joy is a plant which 
grows in the soil of holiness, and 
is planted by the best of gar- 
deners, the Spirit. 

‘* Peace.’ Peace is the calm 
of God stilling the spirit of man 
to its rest and refreshment. 

All these are the product of 
the Spirit, and find their life and 
nourishment in the Lord Him- 
self, 


152 


2. Sins against others, as ex- 
pressed in malice and social dis- 
order. 

‘ Hatred.” A smouldering fire 
of bitterness against another. 

“ Variance.’ Contentions, fac- 
tions, and parties. 7 

“ Emulations.”’ Jealousies. 
Seeking to get what another has 
got for one’s self. 


“ Wrath.’ Bursts of passion. 
“Unholy anger. 
* Strife.” Perpetual contra- 


dictions and cavillings. 
“ Seditions.”’ Plots against 
others to their damage and hurt. 
“‘ Heresies.’ Bad principles, 
etror, Opposing the truth, and 
seeking to undermine it. 


“ Envyings.”’ Grieving at the 
good of others. A sour spirit. 
“ Murders.” The intent or act 


of taking another’s life. 


3. Sins of personal excess. 


“ demeesses.”’- All 
especially drunkenness. 
_ citing of the passions. 

“‘ Revellings.”” Lascivious 
songs. Sinful boisterousness. 
The madness of pleasure and its 
sinful associations. 


extremes, 
The ex- 


EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy Sprrit. 


2. Fruit of the Spirit, in its 
outworking towards others. 


““ Longsuffering.” Suffering 
long without retaliation or re- 
crimination. Enduring under 
provocation and loss. ; | 

“ Gentleness.’ A right and 
true spirit, which is unruffled by 
opposition and keeps sweet in 
all circumstances. Like Him, 
Who is meek and lowly in heart. 

““ Goodness.”’ 
helping others for Love’s sake. 
Finding in other’s need the op- 
portunity to meet it. 


3. Fruit of the Spivit as identi- — 


fied with the individual believer in 
his relation to the Lord. 

“ Fatth.’ The heart’s confi- 
dence and rest in God, as ex- 
pressed in obedience to Him. 

‘“ Meekness.”’ A spirit which 


is satisfied with whatever comes 


and does not complain. 
“ Temperance.” A spirit under 


control, which is sober in all 


things. 


The way to keep from the works of the flesh is to be away - 
from the flesh which works, by living in the circle of the Holy 
Spirit. There is a legend which speaks of a golden organ 
in a monastery which was in danger of being stolen, so the 
monks cast the organ into a deep river, where it is said it 


still poured out its sweet music. 
spirit-nature is in the river of the Spirit’s environment, we — 


When the organ of our 


are kept from the ruthless hands of the flesh, and the music 
of the Spirit’s life is heard to the pleasure of our Lord. 


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Living in the Spirit there is no vain and self-effort to 
overcome the flesh and to keep from its works, the flesh 
- cannot touch us any more than the sea-gull can get at the 

deep-sea fish. It is also an easy matter to love others as the 
Lord wishes. I remember a brother who always irritated me 
by his idiosyncrasies when I looked at him apart from the 
Lord, but when I saw him in the Spirit then the things which | 
irritated me as I looked at the man were lost as I saw the man 
_ in the Spirit. Being in the Divine, we shall be able to divine © 
the Divine in our brethren. 


IV. THE ATMOSPHERE TRANSMITS. 


The atmosphere is the transmitter of all sound. It is 
essential and indispensable for all the practical purposes of 
life. If by some miraculous intervention it would be possible 
to live without air, it would be useless and vain. Without the 
air the choir could not be heard, sang the voices ever so — 
sweetly; and the preacher could not communicate his 
thoughts in language, no matter how eloquently he might speak. 

How true this is in the spiritual realm! It was when 
John was “in the Spirit ” that he “ heard a voice” speaking 
_to him (Revelation i. 10). The voice of the Lord is heard by 
His sheep as they are in the Spirit. One of the most wonderful 
of modern discoveries is the wireless telegraphy, but there are 
two things which are absolutely essential to it, and these are, 
a transmitter and a receiver. 

Being in the Spirit, the Lord can transmit His blessing to us. 
“ I have lost my peace,” said an aged child of God to me, as 
she was feeling the infirmities of old age. I replied, ‘‘ Have 
you lost your Saviour ?”’ “No,” was her quick response. 
In the moment of her doubt, as she relied on the sense of 
feeling, the ear of her receiver had got out of communication 
with the transmitter of God’s Word. But as soon as she 
adjusted her spirit to the Lord Himself, the interrupted 


communication was restored, and peace filled her heart. ba 


Being in the Spirit we can transmit our prayers to God. 
“ Praying in the Holy Ghost” is the injunction of the Word. 
All other prayer is useless, but thus praying we know 
experimentally the truth of Bunyan’s words, “ Prayer is a 


154 EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan.” 
There is no power so great as prayer in the Spirit, for the 
Spirit-environed and the Spirit-inspired prayer, for this kind 
of prayer opens the larder of Heaven to our supply, it admits 
the fresh air of God’s love to our spiritual health, it plants in 
the soil of God’s Word to our growth in grace ; it puts us in 
communication with God’s dynamo to our strengthening ; it 
leads beside the Shepherd of the green pastures, His promises 
and the still waters of His peace ; it sharpens the senses of the 
new man, to his consciousness and discernment of Divine 
things ; and it enables him to rest in the Lord with humble 
contentment and joy. 
Being in the Spirit we can transmit spiritual blessings to 
others tf they are receptive. Christ undoubtedly intimates this 
in His teaching about the Holy Spirit and His disciples. The 
Spirit is to convince the world of sin, of righteousness and 
judgment, not apart from believers but by means of them. For 
instance, by our faith in Christ we are to convict the world 
of its sin of unbelief ; by our evidencing that Christ is alive in 
His living in us and operating through us in practical righteous- 
ness of life, we are to convict the world of its wrong in refusing 
to be saved and sanctified by Him ; and by our victory over 
the powers of evil we are to show to the world that the evil 
one has already been judged, and his power overthrown in the 
death of Christ. 


V. THE ATMOSPHERE REFLECTS. 


The atmosphere is a reflector of light, hence its mysterious 
and beautiful blue, which contrasts and yet harmonizes so 
well with the green mantle of the earth. Were the atmosphere 
deprived of its reflective powers, the sun would appear in one 
part of the sky with dazzling brightness, while all around 
would be dark as midnight and the stars would be seen at 
noonday. 

As we are in the Spirit we shall know experimentally the 
meaning of Christ’s word, ‘‘ He shall receive of Mine and show 
it unto you.” The word “ skow’’ which Christ uses three 
times in John xvi. 14, 15, is “‘ anangello.”’ It is a compound 
word. ‘‘ Ana,” as a prefix, signifies repetition and intensity, 


and “ angelos ’ 


THE ATMOSPHERE. : 155 
’ signifies an angel, a messenger, a bringer of 
good tidings. Thus “‘ anangello’”’ means to announce in detail, 
to rehearse. It is rendered “ rehearsed’ in Acts xi. 4. It is 
the office of the Holy Spirit to rehearse to us the things of 
Christ and to unfold to us in detail their wondrous glory. 
The Spirit delights to rehearse the truth respecting the person 
and glory of our Lord. Take any one of the epistles by way 


‘of illustration; for instance, in the Epistle of Christian 


Experience, the Epistle to the Philippians, the Spirit unfolds 
in wonderful harmony and diversity, the pathway and glory 


of the Man Jesus in the sevenfold progress of His downward 
course from the glory to the death of the cross, and then the 


corresponding steps from the cross to the height of majestic 
glory (Philippians ii. 5-8). Another form of truth the Spirit 
rehearses in the Epistle to the Philippians is the reference to 
the Lordship of Christ, found in relation to the expression 
“in the Lord.” To be “‘in the Lord” is to be fearless of the 
hate of man (i. 14), to act in the consciousness of His presence 


(ii. 24), to fulfil our obligations to our brethren (ii. 29), to~ 


have a secret feeder of joy (iil. 1), to be kept steady amid 


things which would otherwise disturb (iv. 1), to be independent 


of our surroundings (iv. 4), and to be content with whatever 
comes (iv. 10-12). There is no truth so necessary to emphasize 
as Christ’s Lordship, for when we rightly enthrone Him in the 
heart of our affection, He will equip us with the might of His 
presence. 


Vl. THE ATMOSPHERE REVEALS. 


By means of the atmosphere we can see. But the seeing 
eye is essential to appreciate the beautiful light. Being “ in 
the Spirit ’’ aged Simeon was able to see and recognize the 
Lord’s Christ, hence he exclaimed, ‘‘ Mine eyes have seen 
Thy salvation”’ (Luke ii. 27-29). Stephen, being ‘‘ full of 
the Holy Ghost,” said, ‘I see... . the Son of Man standing 
on the right hand of God ” (Acts vii. 55, 56) ; and of John at 
Patmos we read, being “‘ in the Spirit’ he ‘‘ saw ”’ Christ in 
the midst of the seven lampstands (Revelation i. 10-20). Man 
cannot see and understand the things of God any more than 


_. alad could tell the time by looking at a sundial with a lighted 


156 EMBLEMS OF THE HOoLy SPIRIT. 


lantern at night. Men are trying to understand the things ; 


of God by the aid of the lantern of their own reason, whereas 
they can only be apprehended by means of the-Holy Spirit. 
We are explicitly told, ‘‘ Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which 
God hath prepared for them that love Him, but God hath 


revealed them unto us in the Spirit ”’ (1. Cornithians ii. 9, 10). 


The Holy Spirit is called ‘‘ The *Spirit of Wisdom and 
Revelation’ (Ephesians i. 17), and as such enlightens the 
understanding so that it can discern spiritual things. We 
find all three persons at this work of revelation, the Son 
reveals the Father (Matthew xi. 27), the Father reveals the 
Son (Matthew xvi. 17 ; Galatians i. 16), and the Spirit reveals 
God in the person of the Son, hence the Spirit of Revelation 
is to give the “ knowledge of Him.’ Again and again we 


find spiritual things are made known by the Spirit. There 


are at least seven things He makes known. By the Spirit 
through Christ ‘‘ the thoughts of many hearts are revealed” 


(Luke ii. 35), even as the light in a dark cave will reveal | 


creeping things ; the Spirit in the Gospel has ‘‘ vevealed’”’ the 
righteousness of God (Romans i. 17), even as the light in the 
holy place revealed the glory of the veil; the Spirit “‘ hath 
revealed’ the secret of God’s grace in this dispensation, in 


making all who believe in Christ one in Him (Ephesians iii. 5), | 


even as Abraham rejoiced to see the day of Jesus and was 
_ glad ; the Spirit hath “ revealed’ by means of the Scriptures 


the sum total of revelation, namely, Christ’s sufferings and — 


glory (1. Peter i. 12), even as the flaming coal makes known 


the heat of the sun received long ago; the Spirit reveals. 


Christ in us, as Paul confessed, when he said, it pleased God 
to “‘ reveal His Son in me,” that he might make Him known 
to others, even as the moon reveals and reflects the light of 
the sun (Galatians i. 16) ; the ‘‘ revelation’ of Jesus Christ is 
given to us, that we may understand, being in the Spirit, the 
things which are to come to pass in the future (Rev. i. 1I.); 
and the Spirit is the Teacher given to the Church to com- 

* There is no article, as the Revised Version indicates, but as with 


‘“‘ Theos’? (God) and “ Kurios”’ (Lord) the article is often omitted, so 
with ‘“ Pneuma’’ (Spirit). = 


* 

4 

e 
ot 
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pe 


THE ATMOSPHERE. 157 


- municate the spiritual things of God’s grace and glory (1. Cor. 
xiv. 6, 26, 30). 

Frances Ridley Havergal illustrates how the Spirit makes 
known His requirements in the spiritual life. She says in 
her diary, ‘It was Advent Sunday, December, 1873, that I 
first saw clearly the blessedness of true consecration. I saw 
- it as a flash of electric light ; and what you see, you cannot 
unsee. There must be full surrender before there can be true 
blessedness. God admits you by the one into the other. He 
Himself showed me this. First, I was shown the blood of 
Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth from all sin ; and then it 
was made plain to me that He Who had cleansed me, had 
power to keep clean ; so I utterly yielded myself to Him, and 
utterly trusted Him to keep me.” 


VII. THE ATMOSPHERE REVIVES. 


By the heat of the sun an immense quantity of water in 
the form of vapour is daily carried up from earth, rivers and 
seas. If there were no atmosphere this circulation could not 
exist. There would be no rain nor dew. The air causes the 
fire to burn brightly when it is stirred. The Holy Spirit is 
the great Reviver to keep the fire of love continually burning ; 
the Oil to cause the light of holiness always to shine; the 
Dew to refresh and keep the grass of humility ever green ; 
the Spring to cause the heart to be perennially answering to 
the Lord ; and the Element to keep us ever fresh in the truth. 

The grammar regarding the Holy Spirit is full of grace. 
The tenses which are used in relation to the Spirit are 
expressive of His definite and continuous work. First, there 
is the aorist tense, which denotes a past and definite act, this is 
used of the disciples on the Day of Pentecost, who “ were all 
filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts ii. 4) ; second, there is the 
present tense, which is generally expressed by the sentence, 
“full of the Holy Spirit,” as in the cases of Jesus, Stephen 
and Barnabas (Luke iv. 1 ; Acts vii. 55 ; xi. 24)-; and, third, 
there is the imperfect tense, hence, “ the disciples were being 
- filled with the Holy Ghost” (Newberry, Acts. xili. 52), and 


Bee PR i PS Pe Sha ERE SS a ere a 


* The words ‘ Apokalupto’”’ and “ A pokalupsis,” rendered ‘‘ veveal’”’ 
and “‘ vevelation,” mean to take off the cover, hence, a disclosure. 


158 EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


the same again in Eph. v. 18, which should read, “‘ Being filled 
in the Spirit.” Dr. Moule says on this last sentence, ‘“‘ Be 
filled with a fulness, habitual, normal, always supplied and 
always received, in the Spirit. Let that Holy One, your 
Sealer and Sanctifier, so surround and possess you that you 
shall be as vessels immersed in this pure flood.” 

A question is often asked, is the filling of the Holy Spirit 
once for all? There is a crisis in the experience of the 
believer which corresponds to the disciples being filled on the 
Day of Pentecost. This crisis should lead to the process of 
being continually filled that we may know the meaning of 
being “ full of the Spirit,” so that we may have the “ full 
corn in the ear” of a developed Christian character (Mark 
iv. 28), that we may be full of faith, grace and power as 
Stephen was (Acts vi. 5, 8, R.v.), that we may be “ full of good 


works ’’ as Dorcas was (Acts ix. 36), that we may make full — 


proof of our ministry as Timothy was enjoined to do (uz. Tim. 
iv. 5), that we may have the full assurance of understanding 
in Divine things (Colossians ii. 2), that we may have the full 
assurance of faith and never doubt (Hebrews x. 22), that we 
may have the full assurance of hope in expecting Christ’s 


return (Hebrews vi. 11), that our joy may be full through © 
abiding in Christ and Christ abiding in us (John xv. II), and 


that God may “‘ fulfil,” or fill to the full, ‘‘ all the good pleasure 


of His goodness and the work of faith with power ” (11. Thess. © 


i, Ir). But in addition to this crisis and process, there may be 
_ additional epochs as the occasion demands, hence we find in 
the experience of Peter, Peter was filled on the day of Pente- 
cost, but yet on two subsequent occasions Peter was “ filled 


with the Spirit ’’ (Acts iv. 8, 31). The same holds good in > 


the experience of Paul: in Acts ix. 17 he is told to “ be filled 
with the Holy Ghost,” and yet when a fresh emergency arose 
he is said again to be “filled with the Holy Ghost ” (Acts 
xili. 9). I am inclined to think, as impressed by the Word, 
that the crisis leads to the process, but that there may be 
many a crisis for special need and service. The wrong teach- 


ing is, that the process leads to the crisis, whereas the crisis _ 


leads to the process. The crisis is the definite reception of 
the Spirit as Lord, Power, and Sanctifier ; the process is the 


en ne 


-THEe ATMOSPHERE. 159 | 


continual ministry of the Spirit, so that we may answer to 
the normal condition of “ full” ; but should that supply be 
- intercepted, or special service demand, there is another crisis. 

Some few years ago, when living on Nyack Heights on the 
River Hudson, the water supply was found to be cut off. 
There were two theories as to the cause of the cessation of 
the supply of water. One was, that the supply in the well 
was insufficient ; and another theory was there was something 
choking the pipes. It was found there was a plentiful supply, . 
then some of the pipes were taken up, still nothing wrong 
could be found. I knew there was a stop-valve between the — 
2 supply and the house, and suggested that perhaps it had been 
turned, shutting off the supply. The man assured me it was 
not so. None the less when he was not about I went and 
got the long key, for the valve was some distance in the 
ground, and amused myself by turning the tap round and 
round. When all of a sudden my wife called from the house, 
‘“The water is coming in!” What had been the matter ? 
Doubtless some mischievous person had turned the tap and 
shut off the supply. As there was a crisis when the water 
was turned into the cistern of the house, and then a 
process by the continual supply so that the vessels in the 
house were supplied, and yet there was another crisis when 
the supply was cut off; so the Spirit comes definitely to the 
child of God as he surrenders to Him, and continues to 
minister as the believer abides in Christ, and yet should any- 
thing intercept His working another crisis of surrender and 
blessing occurs. There is no third party who can turn off 
the supply of the Spirit from us. The only danger is lest we 
should keep back the supply by coldness and prayerlessness, 
and thus run dry. The reviving of the Spirit shall ever be 
ours if we continually live in the sphere of the atmosphere 
- of His presence and power. 


‘My bark is wafted to the strand, by Breath Divine ; 
And on the helm there rests a hand, other than mine. 
One Who has known in storms to sail I have on board ; 
Above the raging of the gale I hear my Lord. 

Safe to the land—safe to the land, the end is this ; 
And then with Him go hand in hand, far into bliss.” 


Syllabus of 
The Wind as an Emblem of the Holy Spirit. 


Wind emblematic of the Spirit’s activities—I. Wind, 
invisible in tts essence— Ruach ” and ‘‘ Pneuma”’ : Hebrew 


and Greek words for wind—Unseen colours of the Spectrum— _ 


Hidden bar in Tabernacle—What the world cannot see and 
know, and what the saint knows—F eeling a pain—II. Wind 
as confined in its operations—We know whence and whither 
and how the wind goes, so John iii. 8 cannot refer to wind as 
such—Quotation from Dr. Archibald ve wind—The Spirit’s 


special service and encircling presence—II1. Wind is mysterious 


am action—Exegesis of John iii. 8—“ How”? A Fool’s 


Question—Those who hear the bell the angel rings—IV. ~ 


Wind is powerful in its movements—What a hurricane did in 
London in 1703—‘‘ Wind” (‘“ Pnoe ”) to breathe—The 
three persons breathing, namely, at Creation, Resurrection and 
Pentecost—" Mighty” ; vital activity—“ Rushing” : carry- 


ing or bearing—Acts i. 8 illustrated in Acts ii.—What the 


Spirit did in New York—V. Wind is cleansing in its service— 
Three words rendered “pure” in N.T.—‘<N othing but 


Almighty God to trust in”—El-Shaddai—VI, Wind is — 


withering in its work—What the Spirit disperses—Seven 
things humility is—Bunyan on the Valley of Humiliation— 


Fénelon on false and true humility—‘ Thine own meek Self. 


to me impart”—VII. Wind is varied in its direction—The 
east wind of devastation—The lady who wanted patience but 
not trial—The west wind of deliverance—The boy and the 
bed-quilt versus the Comforter—The north wind of clearing— 
Words found in Horace Bushnell’s Bible—The south wind of 
pleasantness—The odours which delight our Beloved. 


160 


Fis —=_ = ~~ 


= 


4 
a 
4 
a 
. 
Sa 
4 
4 
Ba 


THE WIND. 


HE wind as an emblem of the Spirit suggests His active’ 

operations. He is the Begetter of the new life, He is 

the Sustainer of the life He begets, He is the Purifier of the 

- heart, He is the Active Opponent of the flesh, He is the 

Sanctifier of the saint, He is the Worker in service, He is the. 

Leader in worship, and the Producer of the fruit of love and 
the fruits of Righteousness. 


I. WIND IS INVISIBLE IN ITS ESSENCE. 


_ The invisibility of any given thing does not do away with 
its actuality. Men may deny its substantiality, but the 
effects of the wind are none the less substantial. It is easy 


to say that wind is “ air in activity,” and that “ the principal 


component parts of air are oxygen and nitrogen,’ but what 


- is the essence of these gases? Our questions only lead us 


into agnosticism, whereas faith in God’s revelation leads us 
to rest in Him Who knows. The Hebrew and Greek words - 
which are used of the Spirit, namely, “ Ruach”’ and 
‘“ Pneuma,’ in their crude meaning, signify wind. In the 
New Testament, as used by us, “‘ Pueuma”’ occurs 385 times. 
Two hundred and eighty-six times the word is rendered 
“ shivit”’ alone, ninety-three times the word is associated 
with the adjective “holy” (four times with “spirit” and 
eighty-nine times with “‘ ghost’’), twice the word is rendered 
‘‘ chost,’ once ‘life,’ once “ wind,” once ‘‘ spiritual,” and 
once ‘‘ spiritually.” Wind cannot express all the Spirit is, 
for before there was any wind we read, “ The Spirit of God | 
moved upon: the waters.” Although the Spirit cannot be 
_ diagnosed or seen, He is none the less real. _ The fact is, as in 
Nature, so in Grace, the unseen forces, such as electricity and - 


life, are the vitalities.. These are undefinable and unseen, 
“LOI L 


ce c¢ 


162: EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy SPIRIT. 


but they are none the less real. The Spectrum, which is 


formed by the sun passing through a triangular glass prism — 


and falling on a screen, is the phenomenon of the seven rainbow 
colours. The red colour is at one end and the violet at the 
other. Photography has demonstrated that there is an invisible 
spectrum below the red and one above the violet. Thus as 
there are many things in Nature which cannot be seen, the — 
wind among them, so the Holy Spirit is the Unseen Worker, 
but none the less the Potential One. As the unseen bar 
went through the boards of the Tabernacle and kept 
them steady on the foundation, so the Spirit is the One Who 
unites believers to Christ and makes them to partake of His 
fulness, for in One Spirit have all been vara into one = body 
(1. Corinthians xii. 13). 

Christ tells us “the world cannot receive’ the Holy 
Spirit as the Spirit of Truth, ‘“‘ because it seeth Him not, 
neither knoweth Him ”’ ; but contrast this with what He says 
to His own, “ But ye know Him” (John xiv. 17). The word 
“know” signifies a true and personal relation between the 


person knowing and the person known, hence, itis more than 


knowing about, it is a personal acquaintance with. When 
- the Spirit is received, He is perceived. To know Him is to 
be swayed by His truth, inspired in His love, kept by His 
- grace, led by His hand, sustained by His presence, cheered by 
His promises, and used in His service. 

Although we cannot see the Spirit, believers know His 
working in them. A man once said to a Christian that he 
did not believe there was a Holy Spirit, simply because he 
had never seen Him. He did not believe in anything he had — 
not seen ; and he put the following questions to the Christian : 


‘‘Have you ever seen the Holy Spirit ?’—“ No.” “ Have 
you ever tasted the Holy Spirit ?’—‘‘ No.” ‘“ Have you 
ever smelt the Holy Spirit ?’—‘‘ No.” “ Have you ever felt 


the Holy) Spitit 2: -S oaes.27 0 Aa said the Christian, 
“Jet me ask you a question or two. Have you ever seen a 


pain ?’—‘‘ No,” ‘Have you ever tasted a pain ?’’—‘‘ No.” ‘a 
“Have you ever smelt a pain ?’’—‘‘ No.” “‘ Have youever 
felt a pain ?”’—‘‘ Yes.”’ ‘‘So,” said the Christian, “I have 


felt the power of the Holy Spirit.” 


THE WIND. 163 


II. WIND IS CONFINED IN ITS OPERATIONS. 


The wind is governed in its movements. The passage in 
John iii. 8, where Christ says of the wind, “ We know not 
whence it cone nor whither it goeth,”’ is not a correct — 

reading, as we shall see later, for we know where the wind 
- goeth and from whence it comes. In Ecclesiastes i. 6 we are 
told, ‘‘ The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about 
unto the north ; it whirleth about continually, and the wind 
returneth again according to his circuits.” Job 1. 19 states 
that the wind which smote the house came “ from the wilder- 
ness’; and Ecclesiastes tells us that observations may be 
taken of the wind. Science can tell us why the wind comes, 
- where the trade winds operate, what causes the monsoon, the 
hurricane and the cyclone, and how winds generally work ; 
it has even a general definition of wind, for it speaks of it “ as 
a sensible current in the atmosphere.” The Inspired Word 
says, ‘‘ The wind returneth again according to his circuits.” 
This is confirmed by the observations of those who have 
studied the subject. Ina popular volume on the Atmosphere, 
by D. Archibald, he says: ‘“ We know that there exists an 
independent dominating scheme of general circulation between 
the poles and the equator.’ Mark, he speaks of a “ general 
circulation,” and further says: “In general, if a mass of air 
initially tends to move on a rotating sphere towards a certain 
“point, impelled in the first instance by a difference of density 
or pressure, it tends to move continually to the right when 
looked at from a point above the N. pole of rotation, and 
unless prevented from doing so by any extra force resisting 
such motion, would continue to deviate until it had turned 


- through a complete circle.” 


The statement of Ecclesiastes i. 6 is a play upon a word. 
The root word is rendered ‘‘turneth about” and “ whirleth 
about,’ and the derived word is rendered “‘ circuits.’ Rother- 
ham translates the verse : ‘‘ Going unto the south, and circling 
unto the north, circling continually is the wind, and over its 
own circuits returneth the wind.”’ Whether it be verb, 
adverb or noun, there is the thought of revolution. The 
words are used of jewels set in gold (Exodus xxvii. 11), of a 


individual (Psalm xxii. 16), of a person walking round a city ie : 
(Psalm xlvii. 12), of the hem of a garment (Exodus xxviii. 33), oe 
of the walls surrounding a house (1. Kings vi. 5), and of the i. 


ip 
$ 
ay 


turning round of the cart wheel (Isaiah xxviii. 27). “ 


The Holy Spirit has a special circuit of service in relation _ 
to the redeemed. Christ implies this when He says of Him, 
‘He shall be with you and in you.’”’ With us and in us As iaee a 
special privilege and prerogative, in contrast to the world Re 
who do not receive Him, nor see, nor know Him. Thereisno 
need that He cannot meet and no service too hard for His — 


environs us through His Word. Something of the circuit of Sg 
His encompassing protectorate may be gathered from the | 
use of the words, given above, and associated with the action __ 
of the wind. In the following Scriptures the words are 


rendered ‘‘ compassed,”’ “on every side,” ‘‘ round about.” 


On ‘every side’? we are protected by the “hedge” of — 
His care (Job i. 10); we are ‘‘ compassed”’ with the eyelid 
of His protection (Deuteronomy xxxii. 10, margin) ; we are 
surrounded by the encampment of His skill, for He is ““ round — 
about”’ us as a vigilant army (Psalm xxxiv. 7); we are 
environed by the mountains of His power, even as the 
mountains are-“vound about” Jerusalem (Psalm cxxv. 2) : 
we are encircled with the assurances of His prowess, so that 
we can say in anticipation of His victories, ‘Thou shalt 
compass me about with songs of deliverance’ (Psalm xxxii. 7); 
we are guided on “ every side’ by the directions of His Word 
and the skill of His knowledge (11. Chronicles xxxil. 22); we 
have the inness of His calming presence, no matter how fierce 
the storm, nor how great the stress, for He gives “rest on z 
every side” (1. Kings v. 4; 1. Chronicles xxii. 18; 0. Chron. — 
xiv. 7) ; we are confident, amid all the sorrow of life, we shall 
be able to say, “ Thou shalt .... comfort me on every side,” 
or “go about and comfort me’ (Psalm Ixxi. 21); and we 
shall find the Lord ever true to His promise—‘‘I will bea 
Wall of Fire vownd about, and will be the Glory in the midst” 


_— 


THE WIND. rg /165 


(Zechariah ii. 5). With sucha centre of Inspiration and such 


a circle of Protection, who can touch us ? 


Til. WIND IS MYSTERIOUS IN ACTION. 


While there are many things known about the wind, yet. 
like most unseen and yet vital things, it is mysterious in 
itself. This is specially true of the Holy Spirit. The wise 
man said long ago, ‘‘ Thou knowest not the way of the Spirit ”’ 
(Ecclesiastes xi. 5), and Christ says, ‘‘ The wind bloweth 
_ where-it listeth,’’ or, as Rotherham renders John i. 8, “ The 
Spirit where it pleaseth doth breathe, and the sound thereof 
thou hearest; but knowest not whence it cometh and 


_- whither it goeth, thus is every one born of the Spirit.” The 


Holy Spirit acts in the sovereignty of His grace, hence, Christ 
says, “He goeth where He listeth.” The Greek word for 
“‘listeth”’ (‘‘ Thelo”) would be better rendered ‘‘ willeth,”’ 
and is frequently used of the Lord in His willing, for instance, 
“Tf the Lord wild” (1. Corinthians iv. 19 ; James iv. 15), and ~ 
of the Spirit Who works in the believer ‘“‘ to will and to do 
of His good pleasure ”’ (Philippians ii. 13). The Spirit in His 
administration in the Church bestows His gifts’ severally as 
He will,’ and places the members as it ‘“‘ hath pleased Him ”’ 
(1. Corinthians xii. 11, 18). The sovereignty of the Spirit is 
not an arbitrary act which rides roughshod over us, but is an 
_ exclusive power which alone can bless us. 

Nicodemus was puzzled by Christ’s declaration about 
_ being “‘ born from above,”’ and said, ‘‘ How can these things — 
be ?” He was perplexed with the ‘‘ How.’ “How” is a 
fool’s question says the apostle. ‘‘ How are the dead raised ? 
And with what body do they come? Thou fool!” (1. Cor. 


Xv. 35, 36). We might ask another puzzler which we find in 


the Bible, “As thou knowest not what is the way of the 
spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is 
- with child : even so thou knowest not the works of God Who 
maketh all” (Ecclesiastes xi. 5). We can no more explain 
the mystery of the new birth, than we can fathom the process 
- of natural conception, growth and birth. Both are mysteries, 
but none the less real. 
There is a legend of a wonderful bell which rings in heaven, 


1 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. a 


and whose sweet notes can only be heard by those whose 
hearts are pure and gentle. , oe 
‘“‘It is said, somewhere, at twilight 
A great bell softly swings, 
And a man may listen and hearken 
To the wondrous music that rings. 
If he put from his heart’s inner chamber aa 
All the passion, pain and strife, ie 
Heartache and weary longing, a i 
That throb in the pulses of life ; ay 
If he thrusts from his heart all hatred, Bs, 
All thoughts of wicked things, ‘y 
He can hear in the holy twilight oi 
How the bell of the angel rings.”’ 


This is only another way of saying, only it does not say so 
much, ‘‘ Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” 
What is mysterious to the uninitiated, is plain to those who 
are initiated. To know God is the key to all knowledge. 


IV. WIND IS POWERFUL IN ITS MOVEMENTS. » 


Many are the incidents which could be related of the 
violence of the wind in its velocity. One of the most remark- 
able hurricanes which visited London, was that of November 
26th, 1703. Over two thousand stacks of chimneys were 
blown down, many houses were levelled with the ground, and 
many persons were killed. In the Thames 400 wherries were 
lost, and many barges sunk. At sea the destruction was still 
greater, twelve ships of war, with upwards of 1,800 men on 
board, were totally lost. 

The results of the wind’s action, like that described above, 
only bring devastation and death, but the working of the 
Spirit in a spiritual sense brings deliverance and life. On the — 
Day of Pentecost He came as a “ rushing mighty wind.” Each 
word of the sentence—“ rushing mighty wind ’’—is significant. 
‘Wind.’ The Greek word “ pnoe”’ denotes respiration, or a 
breeze, It is rendered “‘ breath” in Acts xvii. 25, where God 
is said to give ‘life and breath” to all. ‘‘ Poe” is derived 
from ‘‘ pneo,” which means to breathe hard and then to blow. a 
It is rendered “blew” in Matthew vii. 27 and ‘‘ bloweth”’ in i 
John iii. 8. Does not this express the act of a living Person ? BS 


- “Woe Fe 
A ae 


igs aie 


Fae ah 


x P oaks - cag by 
eerie a pita Ay qr bine Seo 


THE WINDe oe 167 


God in creation breathed into the former body of man, 
uniting spirit with body, and he became a living soul. Christ 
in resurrection breathed upon His disciples the Holy Spirit, 
commissioning them to be His representatives in the world. 
And the Spirit breathed upon the gathered and praying 
company in the upper room, and they received what Christ — 
had promised, namely, ‘‘ power”’ (Acts 1. 8, margin). When 
God breathed upon man in creation he became a living soul, 
capable of fellowship with God ; when Christ breathed upon 
His disciples they were commissioned as His representatives 
to proclaim Him in the world ; and when the Spirit breathed 
upon the waiting saints at Pentecost, they became empowered 
believers to accomplish His will. 

““ Mighty.” The coming of the Spirit is said to be as a 
“syshing mighty wind.” The word “mighty” means 
violence, and suggests vital activity ; and the word “ rush- 
ing” denotes that which carries or bears. Thus there is 
power suggested in each of the three words, namely, power to 
‘breathe, power to move, and power to bring. The coming of 
‘the Spirit in power is strikingly demonstrated and suggested 
in Acts ii. There was power in utterance, for they “ all began 
to speak.” Cowardice fled before the incoming tide of the 
Spirit’s courage. There was power of vision, tor the promise 
contained that the ‘‘ young men should see visions.” The 
vision of the Eternal enables us to fill the Divine vocation 
in time. There was power of conviction, for the hearers who 
listened to the Spirit were “ pricked in their heart.” The 
consciences of the people were pierced through and through 
to their awakening and consciousness of the need of salvation. 
There was power of addition, for the Lord ‘‘ added” many to 
Himself that day. The additions which are the product of 
the Spirit’s working are always a spiritual increase and a 
lasting benefit. There was power of continuance, for the 
disciples “‘ continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine,’ 
which means, the preached Word was a practised commentary. 
There was power of love, for the saints had “ all things com- 
mon.” They were true communists. They did not grab 
what they could not get, but they shared what they had got. 
There was power of consecration, for they parted with their 


ecealal 


168 EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty SPIRIT. 


worldly possessions to meet the need of their brethren. a 


Pocket-ology is a practical one. The giving Saviour expects 
His saints to give. There was power of unity, for they “ were ”’ 
not only “ together,” but of “one accord.” The concord 


of the Spirit always leads to the one accord of the saints, 
There was power of contentment, for they ate “their meat with 


gladness and singleness of heart.” They took what they 
received from the hand of the Lord, and had a feast with the 


Lord in consequence. There was power of worship, for they 
praising God.” The trinity of worship is—praising - 


6 


were 
Him for what He has done, blessing Him for what He gives, 
and thanksgiving for what He is; and there was the power 


of salvation, for they were not only saved from sin’s penalty — a 


and pollution, but they were “ being saved ”’ to what the Lord 
wished (Acts il. 47, R.V.) 

The coming of the Spirit is described, not only as a 
“mighty wind,” but a “rushing’’ one. The word signifies 
to bear one’s self along as the wind, and then to bear every- 
thing before it. The ship as it is “ dviven’’ before the wind 
is the very illustration which the Spirit uses in speaking of 
the prophecy which “came” to the holy men who were 
“moved ’”’ by the Spirit in the giving of the Scriptures (Acts 
XXvii. 15 ; u. Peter i. 21). When He comes in the rushing of 


His power, who can stand before His sway. Saints are 


‘melted, consciences are quickened, feelings are stirred, bitter- 
nesses are expelled, wrongs are righted, restitutions are made, 
love is alert, faith is great, hope is buoyant, prayer is real, 
zeal is fervent, service is willing, humility is patent, temper is 

sweet, holiness is seen, testimony is effectual, and God is 
glorified. 


A concrete illustration may not be out of place. Some 


_ few years ago, when the writer was co-Pastor with Dr. A. B. 
Simpson, of New York, he asked me one Sunday morning to 


give account of a very gracious and definite outpouring of — 
the Holy Spirit upon 200 students in the Missionary Institute 
at Nyack-on-the-Hudson. I began to tell how the Spirit. 


had come in the searching of His Word, in the holiness of 


His presence, and in the intensity of His humbling power, 


when suddenly the Spirit gave me such a sight of the con- 


THe Winn. 169 
dition of the people before me that I fell over the pulpit 
Bible and began to sob as if my heart would break. When I 


recovered myself somewhat, I began, like Daniel in the ninth 


of Daniel, to confess the sins that came before me. Not 
confessing for the people, but confessing with them and as 
one of them. With brokenness of heart, with quivering | 
voice, and with the tears streaming down my face, I confessed 
the impurity of heart, the roots of bitterness, the self-com- 


placency of pride, the gossiping about others, the sin of taking | 


the things of God for the glory of self, the prayerlessness of 
the inner life, the sin of worldliness, the neglect of the Bible, 
the self-ease in not going out of our way to save the lost, the 
want of faith, the unholy ambition to get rich quickly at the 
expense of others, the want of righteousness in not paying 
others what was their due, and so on. When I finished and 
opened my eyes I found the whole congregation was in tears, 
and many sobbing audibly. Then began a scene which cannot 
be described on cold paper. A young Jewess rose in the 
gallery and cried out in anguish of soul, “‘ Please pray for me. 
This is the first time I have been in a Christian place of 
worship. I have been mistress to a rich Jew, who has sur- 


- — rounded me with every luxury, but who kept me imprisoned 


in Chinatown, and paid two Chinamen ten dollars a week 
-each to see that I did not escape. Pray for me, I want to 
be saved. I escaped from my prison this morning, and now 
I want to be freed from the life I have been living.’’ Then 
she began to sob and pray that the Lord would have mercy 
upon her. Then a Church member rose and confessed she 
had been gossiping about another member and reflecting on 
her character ; then another asked us to pray that he might 
have grace to make restitution to a former employer, which 


~ _ he did, although it cost him a hundred and fifty dollars ; then 


another confessed he had made unjust charges against a. 
Christian worker ; then another confessed to living in secret 
sin ; then another confessed to unjust criticism of one of the. 
Lord’s servants; and so we went on to nearly midnight, 
from half-past ten in the morning, with two short breaks for 
food. And not only SO, but for a fortnight, night after night, 


' from three to four hours at a time the Lord worked in a 


170 ~+EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


similar way. There was very little set ministry, but there 


was a mighty concert of prayer and faith. Sometimes we | 
did not know what the Lord was doing. We were on our 
faces before God, but the Spirit was manifestly working. One 
brother asked one day if I knew how many were seeking the 
Lord on one particular night. I replied, “No.” He said, 
“There were forty who came out to the front and sought and 
found the Lord.” | 

All this came in answer to prayer. For weeks before 
‘there had been an agony of prayer. Pentecostal blessing is 
always preceded by Pentecostal praying. The working of 
the Spirit in power is in response to the cry of the saints in _ 
the one accord of prayer. Sometimes He comes in the still © 
small voice in the closet of personal character, sometimes He 
comes in the earthquake of the heart-quake of convulsive 
feeling, sometimes He comes in the fire of His consuming 
holiness, and at other times He comes in the winnowing and 
withering wind of His effective power, convincing sinners of 
their need of the Saviour and saints of their need to be 
wholly consecrated to Him. 


V. WIND IS CLEANSING IN ITS SERVICE. 


Elihu said to Job, “‘ And now men see not the bright light — 
which is in the clouds ; but the wind passeth, and cleanseth 
_them”’ (Job xxxvii. 21). There is a golden glory which is 
obscured by the clouds, but when the wind dispels them, then — 
the glory is seen. Does not the above verse remind us of 
one in the New Testament, namely, ‘‘ Blessed are the ass in 
heart, for they shall see God ”’ ? | 

There are three* words in the New Testament that are 


* There are four other words which are synonymous, which are not 
rendered ‘“‘ pure.”’ ‘‘ Hagios,’’ which is rendered “ saints’ and “ holy” 
(Romans i. 2, 7), and means that which is set apart for a sacred use ; 
““ Amiantos,’’ which is translated “‘ undefiled’ in the four places where 
it occurs, and means that which is unstained, unsoiled (Heb. vii. 26 ; 
xiii. 4; James i. 27; 1. Peter i. 4); ‘‘ Htevos,”’ which is given “‘ holy ’”’ 
in the two places where it is found, means that which is sacred for 
God (1. Corinthians ix. 13; 1. Timothy iii. 15) ; and ‘‘ Hoszos,’’ which 
signifies that which is free from crime or impious deed, and is rendered 
““holy”’ (Acts ii. 27) and “‘ mercies ’’ (Acts xiii. 35). 


~~ 


THE Winp. Bey 171 


rendered “‘ pure.” (x) Hagnos is rendered “clearing” (u. Cor. 


vii. 11), “ chaste” (11. Corinthians xi. 2), ‘‘ pure” (Philippians 


iv. 8), and means that which is free from defilement. The 


word occurs in three practical connections. The command 
as to the heart-life is, “ Keep thyself pure’ (I. Timothy 
v. 22); the injunction regarding the outer-life, not only to 
the wife in relation to her husband but to all, is, that the 
world may be won to the Lord by our ‘chaste behaviour ”’ 
(1. Peter iii. 2, R.v.) ; and in reference to the model it is to 
be “even as He is pure” (1. John iui. 3). Christ is the 
standard. (2) “ Eilikrines”’ 1s rendered “‘ sincere’? (Philip. 


4. ro), and “ pure” (tt. Peter iii. 1), and means that which 


has been tested and found to be genuine. (3) “ Katharos”’ is 
translated “clean”? (John xv. 3), and “ pure ” (Revelation 
xxi. 18, 21), and signifies that which is clean. The word is 
frequently used in relation to the inward and outward life of 
the believer. The “ pure in heart” are those who see God 
(Matthew v. 8); the sum total of the Christian life is “‘ love 
out of a pure heart” (1. Timothy i. 5, R.v.) ; the prerequisite 
for faithfulness in ministry is to hold “ the mystery of the 
faith in a pure conscience” (I. Timothy iii. 9), the cause 
of a cloudless sky Godward, is to serve Him ‘in a pure con- 
science” (11. Timothy i. 3, R-V-) ; the secret of prevailing 
prayer is to ‘‘ call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (u. Tim. 


- ii. 22); the badge of a “ pure religion ”’ is a compassionate 


ministry to the needy and a life free from worldliness (James 
i. 27); and the garment which Heaven commands is made 
“ clean and white” by the “righteous acts of the saints ”’ 
(Revelation xix. 8). 

Who is sufficient for such holiness and purity ? Only the 
Holy One. Only the Pure One. ‘Now I have nothing but 
Almighty God to trust in,” exclaimed a simple Roman 
Catholic woman when her crucifix was broken. She did not 


‘recognize the broken crucifix was a gain rather than a loss. 


As long as we have any sufficiency, God is not sufficient ; 
but when we are broken and all we trusted in is smashed, then 
we are shut up to the Lord Himself. As long as Abram was 
walking before Sarah and obeying her instructions, the 
promised seed did not arrive, but when he found Jehovah was 


172 ~~: EwBLeMs or tHE Hoty SprRr. Yemen 


El- Shaddai (which means the many- -breasted God, for Shad 
is the word for a woman’s breast, hence God is enough or | 
sufficient), then his hopes were realized, because he walked 
before Him Who was efficient and euffclent. The Spirit of 
God can cleanse the heart and keep the life pure. Let Him 
do it, and let Him keep the heart and life pure. 


VY. WIND IS WITHERING IN ITS WORK. 


5; “ The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I ery? 
All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the 
flower of the field: The grass withereth . . . because the Spirit 
of the Lord bloweth upon it ”’ (Isaiah xl. 6, a). The: Spirit © 
bloweth”: the word “ bloweth” is a primary one and means 
to disperse. Oh! how many things He disperses when He 
begins to work. He dispersed the self-stvength of David and 
made him cry out, “I am a worm” (Psalm xxii. 6); He 
dispersed the self-righteousness of Paul, and made him exclaim, 
“I am carnal” (Romans vii. 14); He dispersed the self- 
excellency of Job, and made him confess, ‘‘I am vile’’ (Job 

xi. 4), or “I am of small account.” (R.v.) ; He dispersed the 

_ Séelf-satisfaction of Isaiah, and made him own, ‘‘ I am a man of 

unclean lips” (Isaiah vi. 5) ; He dispersed the se/f-acting of : 

Peter, and made him to say, ‘I am a sinful man” (Luke 

v. 8) ; He dispersed the self-effort of Jacob, when He put his’ 

thigh out of joint, and made him cling in the helplessness of 

faith (Genesis xxxii. 25, 26); and He dispersed the sedf- 
comeliness of Daniel, and caused him to say, “‘ My comeliness 


was turned into corruption and I retained no strength” 


(Daniel x. 8). 

The Spirit blights and withers that He may bless and 
ennoble us. The withered grass cut up by the cutting wind - 
is an illustration of His stripping work. The goodliness of 
_ the creature gives place to the grace of the Creator. The 
word rendered “‘ withereth”’ means to dry up as a brook is dried. 
__ up, and is also used of herbage when it is withered up, hence 

_ we find the Psalmist saying, ‘‘I am withered like grass”’ (Psalm. 
Cll. 4, II), and “ my strength is dried up” (Psalm xxii. 15). 
The Spirit dries up our earthly resources and withers our 
creature strength, that He may give greater and lasting 


‘Tue Winp. : ; 173 


blessing. He humbles that He may exalt. He brings low 


that He may lift high. God appreciates humility more than. 


any other grace. It is the queen of graces and the home of 
Deity. Humility is the soul of contentment (Philippians* 
iv. 12), the secret of service (Acts xx. 19), the livery of heaven 


(1. Peter v. 5), the spirit of love (Ephesians* iv. 2), the lesson 
of grace (Matthew* xi. 29), the reflector of Christ (Philippians e 


aie 8), and the home of God (Isaiah lvii. 15). 


_Bunyan’s description of the Valley of Humiliation is very | 


happy. He describes it, ““ As the best and most useful piece 
of ground. ... It.is a fat ground and consisteth much in 


_ meadows.”’ 


‘* He that is down need fear no fall, 
He that is low no pride ; 
He that is humble ever shall 
Have God to be his Guide.”’ 


_ The end of the Spirit’s withering work is that He may winnow 
away the chaff, and lead to the positive grace of humility. 


He casts down to lift up. He strips to clothe. He breaks up 


to plant in. He overturns to reconstruct. 

Fénelon voices the humility which is heaven-born and 
contrasts it with the article which is man-made. He says, 
‘“ He who seeks not his own interest, but solely God’s interest 


‘in time and eternity, he is humble... . Many study exterior — 


humility, but humility which does not flow from love is 
spurious. The more this exterior humility stoops, the 
loftier it inwardly feels itself; but he who is conscious of 


stooping does not really feel himself to be so low that he can © 


go no further. People who think much of their humility are 
very proud. ... Many men seeking to be humble by an effort 
of their will, and failing in perfect resignation and self- 
renunciation, sin against the Divine love without which 
there is no humility. Fuller light would enable them to see 
that they are exalting themselves by that which they mean 
for humility ; their supposed setting aside of self is self- 
- seeking; they are puffed up with the pride of humility, and 
glory in the humble acts they perform. But the really 


* The words for ‘‘ humble’’ and “ humility’ are rendered in these 
passages “‘ abased,”’ “ lowliness,”’ ‘‘ lowly.” 


Ri 


174. ~~ ‘EMBLEMS oF THE Hoty Spirit. aS 


humble man does not do anything of the sort ; he lets himself 
be carried hither and thither ; he is satisfied that God should 
do as He will with him, as the wind with the straw; and 
there is more real humility in accepting greatness in such a 
spirit, than thwarting God’s plans beneath a pretext of 
humility. He who chooses abasement rather than elevation 
is not necessarily humble, though he may wish to be; but he 
who lets himself go—up or down—heedless whether to be 
praised or blamed, unmindful of what is said of him, is really 
humble, whatever men may think, if it be because he waits 
solely on God’s pleasure.”’ For this we pray with Keble— 


‘Thou, Lord of Meekness, write it there, 
Thine own meek Self to me impart.” 


VII. WIND IS VARIED IN ITS DIRECTION. 


There is distinct teaching in relation to the four winds. 
We might designate them—the east wind of devastation, the 
west wind of deliverance, the north wind of clearing, and the 
south wind of pleasantness. 

The east wind of devastation. Many are the references to 
disaster brought and wrought by the east wind.* It was an 


east wind that blasted the ears of corn in Pharaoh’s dream | 
(Genesis xli. 6, 23, 27) ; it was an east wind that brought the — 


locusts upon the land of Egypt (Exodus x. 13) ; it is an east 
wind which, according to Job’s prediction, carries the 


wicked away (Job xxvii. 21) ; it is by an east wind that the | 


ships of Tarshish are broken (Psalm xlviii. 7) ; God’s wither- 


ing work of judgment is compared to an east wind withering 


the fruit trees (Ezek. xvii. 10 ; xix. 12) ; the east wind was the 


* Dr. Geikie in his book The Holy Land and the Bible has an 
interesting account of the east winds. He says, ‘‘In the summer 
they are known as the sirocco, which, when intense, is a veritable 
calamity. It dries the throat, bringing on catarrh and other bronchial 
affections ; while its lack of ozone makes one unwilling to work with 
either mind or body: it creates violent headache and oppression of 
the chest, causes general restlessness and depression of spirits, etc. . . 
The east wind in winter brings with it a cold so penetrating that the 
thinly dressed natives sometimes die from its effects. In spring it 
frequently shrivels up the young vegetation so that the people of 
Lebanon call it ‘The poison wind.’”’ 


THE WIND. | 175 


cause of Tyre’s rowers being broken in the midst of the seas 
(Ezekiel xxvii. 26) ; and it was an east wind which discomfited 
Jonah till he fainted (Jonah iv. 8). The Spirit of God comes 
sometimes as an east wind, breaking and discomforting, till 
like Jonah we faint with despair. A Christian woman went 
to a friend of mine in Pittsburg and said, ‘‘ Will you pray for 
me, Mr. Whiteside?” ‘‘ Yes, my sister,’’ was the reply, 
‘‘ what shall I ask the Lord for ?”’ ‘I want more patience,” 
was the response. My friend began to pray somewhat as 
follows, ‘‘ Lord, send this sister a lot of trial, and persecution 
and tribulation.” ‘‘ Stop,’ exclaimed the sister, “1 don’t 
want trial and tribulation, I want patience.’’ The servant of 
God calmly replied, “Tribulation worketh patience, and 
patience experience.” We want the Christ of blessing, but 
‘we don’t want the John of baptismal judgment. Before 
- Christ got the brooding Dove of the Spirit, He had gone down 
into the waters of Jordan’s death. 

The west wind of deliverance. It was a west wind that 
took the locusts away from Egypt (Exodus x. 19), and Christ 
tells us it is from the west that the refreshing shower comes 
(Luke xii. 54). The Spirit of God comes in the effectiveness 
of His power and drives away the locusts of evil, and in the 
_ shower of His grace to refresh the weariness of the saints. A 


- poor woman in New York who could not get out to the 


church service as she was wont, sent her little boy with the 
instruction, he was to bring home as much of the sermon as 
he could. When the boy got home he had forgotten all he 
had heard. ‘‘Do you remember the text,” queried the 
mother. ‘‘ Yes, God says, ‘ He is going to send us another 
bed-quilt.’”” An additional bed-quilt was sorely needed, 
- for the only one the mother had was worn and thin, and it 
was not sufficient to keep them warm. The mother could 
-not remember such a text, so she asked a friend, who was 
present at the service, what the text was. The friend replied, 
“J will send you another Comforter.” The bed-quilt was 
called a comforter, and he knew they needed one, so when he 
heard that God was going to send the Comforter he concluded 
it was a bed-quilt. Do we not all need, and always need, 


_ this additional Comforter ? Verily, we do, and when He is 


Pu ica EMBLEMS OF THE HoLy SPIRIT. 


received, obeyed and honoured we find Him a Helper indeed, 
Beer oni a Comforter to warm and gladden. 


- 


The north wind of clearing. Three things are said about 
_ the north, ‘‘ Cold cometh out of the north ” (Job xxxvii. 9), - 
but so does “‘ fair weather ”’ (Job xxxvii. 22), for the “north 
wind driveth away rain ”’ (Proverbs XXV. 23): acharacteristic _ — 
tae recognized in its native name, “ the heavenly,” apparently 
from the glorious blue sky which marks it. Who isit that can — 
2 a3 as _ bring us under the sky of hallowed communion and give us to 
ees enjoy the fair weather of God’s love? No one but the — 
Spirit. He alone can clear away the cloudy weather and give 
_ us the bracing of His invigorating presence. What a difference 
; TS it makes when we know the cheer and comfort of the Divine. 
ie : _ In the Bible of Horace Bushnell, after his death, were found 
>. these words pencilled on a sheet of paper, ““My mother’s == 
loving instinct was from God, and God was in her love tome __ 
first—which love was deeper than hers and more protracted. ae 
Long years ago she vanished, but God stays by me still, 

embracing me in my grey hairs as tenderly and carefully as 

corse she did in my infancy, and giving to me as my joy and the 
ee “principal glory of my life, that He lets me know Him, and 
eet helps me, with real confidence, to call Him my Father.’”’ His. 
ate love clears our sky and cheers our spirit, and the Spirit. 
“Himself comforts us in all the tenderness of His motherhood. — 


“No word of all the Scripture thrills a-sweeter chord than this, 
Stirs a richer retrospection of the soul’s experienced bliss, 
Than this promise, where the Spirit strengthens weak and timid 
faith, ; 
With Beatie of His comfort, ‘As a mother comforteth.’ ”’ 


The south wind of pleasantness. Elihu says, ‘How thy ~ 
garments are warm, when He quieteth the earth by the south - + 
wind ?” (Job xxxvil.. 17); and the bride in the Song of ~ 

_ Solomon says, ‘Awake, O north wind; and come thou — 
south ; blow upon my garden, till the spices thereof may 

- flow out” (Song of Solomon iv. 16). Dr. Geikie says upon 

up this verse, ‘‘ The north-west or south-west is meant, since it — 3 3 

: rarely blows directly from the north or the south. This wind 

is felt at Joppa as early as nine or ten in the morning, but as 

becomes the. east, it travels leisurely, reaching Jerusalem 


THE WIND. _ 7 7 


generally about two or three in the afternoon ; sometimes 
indeed not till much later. Subsiding after sunset, it soon > 
_ rises again, and continues for most of the night, bathing and 
renewing the parched face of nature with the refreshing 
- vapours it has brought from the ocean, and constitutes ‘ the 
dew’ of the sacred writings. Should it net reach the hills, 
as sometimes happens, Jerusalem suffers greatly, but near 
the sea its moist coolness is a daily visitor.”’ 

As the bride appeals to the wind to bring out the aroma 
of the spices, so the Spirit brings out the implanted graces of | 
His love. There are spices, fragrant odours, which delight 

the heart of our Beloved, such as the odour of intercession 
- (Revelation v. 8), the frankincense of a consecrated life 
(Matthew ii. 11), the spikenard of love’s devotion (Mark 
xiv. 3), the incense of grateful worship (11. Chronicles xxix. 11), 
the fragrance of lowly adoration (Song of Solomon i. 12), the 
aroma of a holy character (Psalm xlv. 8), the sweet smell of 


_ generous help (Philippians iv. 18), the savour of prayer 


(Psalm cxli. 2), the perfume of a faithful ministry (1. Cor. 
ii. 14-16), and the redolence of a forgiving and loving spirit 
(Ephesians iv. 32; v. I, 2). How pleasant such a redolent 
- life must be to our Lord. Here again, we are cast upon the 
Spirit, and we pray in the intensity of earnest longing, 
‘““ Awake, O Spirit, blow upon the garden of my heart and 
_ life, till the spices of Thy graces and gifts flow out in adoring 
praise and agreeable appreciation to God.” 
‘Lord, let Thy love, 
Fresh from above, 
Soft as the south wind blow ; 
Call forth its bloom, 


| Wake its perfume, 
And bid its spices flow !” » 


Syllabus of 
Rivers as Emblems of the Holy Spirit. 


Rivers of the Bible—I. Sowrce—Professor’s question to 
student—Ten things ‘of God’’—Four Edenic rivers— 
Cowper’s verse on love—Canon Liddon on “ supersensuous ” 
—Il. The course—Stier’s reading on John vii. 37, 38 and 
paraphrase—Hebrew word for “‘ fountain ’?—One of the last 
sayings of Robert Chapman—The inexpressible things—III. 
Mission—Bacteria—Rivers fructify—Hampton Court vine— 
Rivers pacify—A robin’s nest at Nyack—Rivers gladden— 
Samuel Rutherford’s letter—Rivers vivify—Fountain and 
cistern—Ezekiel’s river—Measured waters—Deep waters—_ a 
Productive waters—Directed waters—Healing waters—Food- ~ 5 
providing waters—Sacrificial waters—‘.A Cruce salus”’— 
Rivers  satisfy—Spirit-drenched—Rivers magnify—Paul’s 
three “yet not I’s”—What George Miiller did—Rivers 
glorify—Legend of Brittany—IV. The terminal—‘ Men ! it 
must be done !”—Puritan on personal pronoun. 


RIVERS. — 
‘HE rivers of the Bible are significantly suggestive in 
their association and meaning. A stream of con-_ 
nected thought could be profitably followed in tracing their 
mention and setting in the pages of the Holy Writ. Take 
seven rivers by way of illustration. The four Edenic rivers 
are associated with man’s primeval state in Paradise (Gen. — a 


ii. 10) ; the River Euphrates is connected with God’s promise 
178 3 


RIVERS. 179 


in grace to Abraham and his seed regarding the land of 
Palestine as Israel’s inheritance (Genesis xv. 18; Deut. 
xl. 24; Joshua i. 4; Revelation xvi. 12); Jordan ple anh: 2 
important part in God’s redemptive programme, being 
identified with the rolling away of the reproach of Egypt from 
Israel (Joshua iv. and v.), and the coming of Christ as the One 
Who was plunged beneath the waters of judgment for us 
(Mark i. 5); the river of Egypt is the proclaimer of God’s © 
judgment against sin and Israel’s deliverance from bondage 
(Exodus vii. 17-25) ; the River Chebar is the river of Israel’s 
Babylonish captivity, beside which the prophet saw the 
vision of God’s glory (Ezekiel i. 1-3 ; xliii. 3 ; Psa. cxxxvii. 1) ; 
Ezekiel’s river of vision is suggestive of many symbolical 
_ blessings (Ezekiel xlvii.) ; and the river of Acts xvi. 13 is the 
place of fellowship in prayer. 


There are four points suggested by a river, namely, source, 
course, mission, and terminal. 


T. SOURCE. 


A professor asked a student one day, “‘ How does the 
Bible begin ?” 


“With creation,” was the reply. 


“Mine does not,” was the rejoinder, ‘‘it begins with God 
—‘ In the beginning Gop.’ ”’ 


Everything is wrong if we do not begin with God. He is 
the explanation of creation, the Sustainer of life, the Ruler 
in providence, the Author of Scripture, the Giver of Christ, 
the Source of spiritual life, and the Originator of every blessing 
of the Gospel. Turn where we will in the sacred page, the 
Spirit emphasizes one great fact, viz., God is the Source of all 
things. Take Romans i. by way of illustration, where we 
read of ten things of God. ‘Gospel of God” (verse 1). 
“Son of God ” (verse 4), ‘‘ Beloved of God’? (verse 7), ‘ Will 
of God” (verse 10), ‘‘ Power of God’’ (verse 16), ‘‘ Right- 
eousness of God”’ (verse 17), ‘‘ Wrath of God” (verse 18), 
“Glory of the uncorruptible God” (verse 23), ‘Truth of 
_ God” (verse 25), “ Judgment of God ” (verse 32). 


180 EMBLEMS OF THE HOoLy Spirit. 


In Genesis ii. 10, II, we read of a river divided into four 
heads. This river of Eden in its fourfold flow cannot definitely 
be identified to-day. The names of the rivers were Pison, 
Gihon, Hiddekel, and Euphrates. According to Newberry — " 
the names mean spreading, stream, swift, and fruitfulness. __ 


The meaning given to these names by Farrer is more sugges- 


tive. He says, Pison means changing, doubling, extended ; 


Gihon signifies valley of grace, or impetuous; Hiddekel — a 
denotes a sharp voice, and Euphrates indicates, That makes 


fruitful. 


Let us take these rivers as illustrating the Spirit’s person 
and work. There are four things God is said to be: “God © 
is Spirit”? (John iv. 24); ‘God is Light” (1. John i. 5) ; 
“God is a Consuming Fire’ (Hebrews xii. 29) ; and “ God is 
Love” (1. John iv. 8). All this the Spirit is. 


As Pison means changing or doubling, so the Spirit, as 
the Spirit, is the Source and the Cause of that change, or 
additional work, called ‘‘ the new birth.’ As natural life is 
the union of the spirit and body by means of the soul, so _ 


spiritual life is the union of man with God through Christ 4 


_ by the operation of the Holy Ghost. 


As Gihon signifies Valley of Grace, or impetuous, so the 
Spirit is the One Who causes us to know the light of the 


knowledge of God’s grace as revealed in the face of Jesus — 
Christ. No darkness of hell, sin, or death, can stay before the - 


impetuous sway of God’s grace. The Spirit in His ministra- 
tion of the Gospel accomplishes this. - 


As Hiddekel denotes a sharp voice, so the Spirit is a 
Consuming Fire to purify away the dross of sin and make us _ 
beautiful with the cleansing of His Word. His Word is a 
sharp voice and a fire, as is clearly stated in the opening of 
the Book of the Revelation, where Christ’s eyes are said to be 
as a flame of fire to burn, and the Churches are exhorted to 
hear what “‘ the Spirit saith.” 


As Euphrates indicates that which makes fruitful, so the 
Spirit as Love is the begetter of that which is called ‘‘ The 


fruit of the Spirit.” That love is expressed in self-forget- ‘ae 


RIVERS. 18r 


fulness and self-sacrifice. Cowper finely puts it when he 
says :— 


‘* All selfish souls, what’er they feign, have still a selfish lot ; 
_ They boast of liberty in vain, of love, and have it not ; 
He, whose bosom glows with Thee, he, and he alone is free ; 


Whether we name thee Charity or Love, 

Chief grace below, and all in all above ; 

Who seeks to praise Thee, and to make Thee known 
To other hearts, must have Thee in his own. 


Love speaks of Him, her Author, Guardian, Friend, 
Whose love knew no beginning, knows no end. 


She flies to save some, and feels a pang for all. 
And from a knowledge of her own disease, 
Learns to compassionate the sick she sees. 

She makes excuses, where she might condemn, 
Revil’d by those that hate her, prays for them ; 
The worst suggested, she believes the best ; 


Such was the portrait an Apostle drew ; 
The bright original was One he knew ; 
Heav’n held his hand, the likeness must be true.’’ 


The only One Who can make this likeness true in us is 
the Spirit Himself. Canon Liddon once said what is true in 
its profound simplicity. He said: “ It may seem a poor and 
trite thing to say, but real belief in the Holy Ghost implies 
an habitual sense of the reality of a spiritual and supersensuous 
world. There is in fallen human nature a constant and pro- 
found tendency to sink under the dominion of materialistic 
habits of thought, that is to say, to surrender ourselves to the 
fascination and empire of the bodily senses.’’ As the law of 
life can only overcome the law of gravitation, so the law of 
the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus is the only power that can 
free us from the law of sin and death. 


_II, THE COURSE. 


At the Feast of Tabernacles Christ said, to give Stier’s 
reading, ‘If any thirst, let him come unto Me; and let 
him drink who believeth in Me! Even as Scripture (con- 
- cerning Me) hath said, Rivers out of Him shall flow, of living © 
- water” (John vii. 37, 38). The general interpretation of this 


182 EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


passage is to make the living water flow out of the believer, ‘ 


but we are inclined to agree with Stier’s paraphrasing, for the 
following reasons :— 2 

1. Nowhere in the Old Testament do we find that men of 
God are said to be a source of blessing, whereas, the Lord is 
frequently said to be “‘ the Fountain of living waters” (Jer. 
il. I3; xvii. 13). The Hebrew word “ fountain” in these 
Scriptures means “‘ a perpetual spring of water.’ The Lord 
promises “to pour water upon him that is thirsty” (Isaiah 
_ -xliv. 3), and also bids those who are thirsty to come to the 
waters (Isaiah lv. 1), and in the glory, Christ is the One from 
Whom the river of life proceedeth and from Whom the needy 
are directed “ to take’ (Revelation xxii. 17). 

2. The preposition “ek” rendered ‘out of” with the 
genitive signifies out of as from a source—a starting point. 
“ Out of Him shall flow rivers of living water,” even as the 
“river of water of life’”’ is said to be “ proceeding out of the 


throne of God and the Lamb.” Stier paraphrases the whole ~ 


passage as follows :— 

“Are there not then among you joyous guests at this 
feast, any thirsting souls who are not satisfied with all this 
ceremonial and typical procedure, commemoration of ancient 


facts and wonders (the true meaning of which prophesied, 
however, of a great futurity), who long for righteousness, for _ 


Spirit and life? Whosoever feels this true thirst, let him 
come now—as long as I am with you this is My invitation— 
unto Me! With Me alone is the true water of life, soon will 
I give it. Then shall everyone who has become a believer in 


Me, drink to his full satisfaction, in a sense very different — 


from your present beholding merely the water poured out. 
For if the Scripture speaks of streams of living water issuing 
forth from Jerusalem and the Temple—quite different from 
our well-meaning though petty drawing water from the 
valley, by which, however, ye are reminded of the prophetic 
word—that is spoken of Me and My body, My entire Person, 
and specially My humanity. In all those passages Messiah 
was referred to, Who is Myself, and it is as if it were said— 
The streams will flow out of Him to water the earth and to 
give the people a drink.” 


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_ RIVERS. : 183 


There is another Hebrew word rendered ‘fountain ’’* 
which refers to a spring breaking through the ground. The 
” and signifies an_ orifice 
through which water comes; or a well, like an eye in the 


ground. The water of life comes from the broken humanity. 


of the Christ of Calvary and the glorified Lord of ascension 


glory. The waters that satisfied Israel in the wilderness came _ 


from the smitten rock of Horeb (Exodus xvii. 6) ; the waters: 


of Ezekiel’s prophetic vision flow “ from under the threshold 


of the house... . at the south side of the altar” (Ezekiel 


xlvii. 1) ; and with Divine intent the water of the river of life 
is said not only to proceed from the throne of God, but also 


from the Lamb. From the glorified Man of Calvary, Who 


is the Giver of the Spirit because of what He gave Himself to 
on the cross, comes the streams of the Spirit’s floods. Only 


_ through Him does the Spirit come. Those who will not come 


by the channel bed of the cross, will never obtain the floods 
of the Spirit’s power and ministry. They will only find a dry 
bed of stony discomfort and the reptiles of unbelief. The 
riven side is the channel from whence comes the water of life. 

One of the last sayings of saintly Robert Chapman, of 
Barnstaple, was, ‘‘ I often think the thought: the members 


-_ of Christ will never come to the end of ‘It is finished.’ 
_ We shall be learning from day to day more and more, but 


what we shall come to will be the unsearchableness of the 
work.” Is not this suggested by ‘“‘ the rivers’? The word 


is “‘ floods,” and is so rendered in Matthew vii. 25, 27, hence 


all He has to give is beyond human expression and definition. 
Think only of the following inexpressible things. His peace 
‘“‘passeth understanding’’ (Philippians iv. 7); His love is 


-unquenchable (Song of Solomon vii. 7); His ways are — 


untrackable (Romans xi. 33, R.V.) ; His riches are unsearch- 


able (Ephesians ili. 8); His gift is unspeakable (uu. Cor. 


ix. 15) ; His joy is inexpressible (1. Peter i. 8) ; His words are 
unutterable (11. Corinthians xii. 4) ; His love is unknowable 
(Ephesians iii. 19) ; He is undefinable (Song of Solomon v. 16) ; 


-and He cannot be numbered (Psalm cxlvii. 5, margin). 


* Rendered ‘“‘ fountain”’ in Gen. xvi. 7; ‘‘ well’’ in Gen. xxiv. 13; 
‘“face”’ in Num. xiv. 14; ‘‘éyes”’ in Ezekiel i. 18, 


184 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy Spirit. 


Il. MISSION. 


Everything in life has its mission. The bacteria which is 
such a terrible scourge in one direction, by its scavenger 
work in the decomposition of dead bodies is a benefactor in 
another direction. There is a blessing in every curse, a bow 
in every cloud, a sweet in every bitter, and a joy in every 
sadness. Rivers and floods have been great devastators, but 
they have also been great benefactors. In the land of 
_ Palestine where a river was such a boon, we are not surprised 
that it is frequently used to illustrate the beneficent work of 
the Spirit. Let us briefly ponder a few things rivers are said 
to do. 


Rivers Fructify. The Blessed Man is compared to a tree 
_ planted by the rivers of water, and who in consequence brings 
forth fruit in his season (Psalm i. 3). Rootage in the Word 
and in the Spirit is the secret of fruitage in the life. The ~ 
reason why the grapes at Hampton Court are so fine is because 
the roots of the vine find their feeding ground in the bed of 


the River Thames. The Christian life is not a negation, itis 


a production; nor is it an attainment merely, it is an 
obtainment. The attainment of what the Lord desires is — 
only possible as we obtain the Spirit’s enduement. When 
- we obtain Him He can obtain His purpose in us. That 
purpose is love even as He loved. We may have the clanging 
cymbals of gift and not the consecrated music of love. We 
may be busy in the Lord’s service, and not be beautiful in 
His life. 


Rivers Pactfy. The lives of many are like a shallow 
stream, noisy and restless; but a true life in the Spirit is 
deep and true. God’s chiding to His people long ago has a 
promise wrapped up in it for us. He said, ‘‘ Oh that thou 
hadst hearkened to My commandments! then had thy peace 
been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the 
sea’’ (Isaiah xlviii. 18). Peaceful as a deep river and 
powerful as the waves of the sea. But the peace and power 
of the Spirit only come one way, and that is by hearkening to 
His commandments. Naught can disturb the one who rests 
in the will of God. A robin had built its nest in a small 


RIVERS. ue 185 


garden bush at Nyack-on-the-Hudson. Cats were about and 


ee pedestrians were continually passing, but the master of the 


garden knew the bird was there, and he kept a watchful eye 
on the mother bird and her nestlings. So when we rest in the 
will of God by our obedience to His Word, the Spirit sees that 
nothing disturbs, and He makes us sing : 


Like a river glorious, 
Is God’s perfect peace, 
Over all victorious, 

In its bright increase ; 
Perfect yet it floweth, 
Fuller ev’ry day, 
Perfect, yet it groweth 

Deeper all the way.” 


Rivers Gladden. ‘‘ There is a river, the streams whereof 
shall make glad the city of God”’ (Psalm xlvi. 4). ‘ Glad” 
is the prominent word here. To be affected to merriment by 
- joy and delight is the meaning. The believer, who is Spirit- 
filled, has a right to be “ merry” with the prodigal, for he is 
saved in the grace of the Father ; he can shout with Gideon 
and his three hundred, ‘“‘ The sword of the Lord and of 
Gideon,” and be victorious over his foes; he can sing with 
Miriam and her maidens, “The Lord hath triumphed | 
gloriously,” as he beholds the achievements of Jehovah ; he 
can say in the face of trial with Paul as encouraged by the 
Lord, ‘‘ None of these things move me ”. he can glory in 
His infirmities as he is buffeted by Satan, for he knows the 
power of Christ protects him; he can sleep calmly with 
- Peter in the face of persecution, for he knows the Lord can 
deliver him ; and he can have a praise meeting, although his 
back is smarting, his feet fast in the stocks, and he is in the 
dark dungeon of an inner prison, even as Paul and Silas did. 
All this is only possible as we keep in fellowship with Christ 
‘and make Him everything, for it is ever the Spirit’s mission to 
keep us occupied with Him. Samuel Rutherford, in his 
letters, emphasizes this. He says, ‘ I see that in communion 
with Christ we may make more gods than one,” meaning 
that we may make the enjoyment itself our god. “I would 
be farther in upon Christ than at His joys.... let the Holy 


cog 


186 EMBLEMS OF THE HOoLy Spirit. 


Spirit lead to this Person, and surely his experience will be, 
none ever came away dry from David’s well.’ 


Rivers Vivify. Of Christ it is said, “A man... . shall | 


_ be as rivers of water in a dry place” (Isaiah xxxii. 2). What 
a dry place the world is, and how dry we are in ourselves ! 
Yet a consciousness of need makes us appreciate the Saviour. 
Rutherford aptly says in writing to one who suffered much 


for conscience sake: “I approve of your going to the — 


Fountain, when your own cistern is dry. A difference there 
must be betwixt Christ’s well and your borrowed water, but 
ye have need of emptiness and drying up, as well as ye have 
need of the well? Want and a hole there must be in our 
vessel to leave room for Christ’s art. His well hath its own 
need of thirsty drinkers, to commend infinite love which, 
from eternity, did brew such a cellar of living waters for us. 

The constant, vivifying and renewing work of the Spirit 
may be iNustrated by the descriptions given of the river in 
Ezekiel xlvii. Let us briefly note the details : (1) Measured 
Waters—“ He measured,” &c. (verses 3-5). There is nothing 
haphazard about the Spirit. Everything is exact. He ever 


keeps to the measure of the truth. (2) Deep Waters. At 


first the waters were only to the ankles, then to the knees, 
then to the loins, and then a river to swim in. Four grades 
of Christian experience may be indicated here. To walk in 
_ the Spirit is good, to have a prayer-life in the Spirit is better, 


to be strengthened in the loins of a Spirit-empowered experl- 


ence is best, but better than the best is to be lifted off our feet 


entirely, and rest in God Himself, even as an expert swimmer 


trusts to the water. (3) Productive Waters. There were 
trees on either side of the river, and many of them (verse yh 
These were the product of the productive waters. The pro- 
ductiveness of the waters is further seen in the increase in the 
fish. ‘* There shall be a very great multitude of fish, because 
these waters shall come thither ” (verse 9). A Spirit environed 
life always produces that which is a blessing and a protection 
to others, and there is also a great multitude saved when 
the Spirit works in power. After Pentecost it is said, “‘ Be- 
lievers were the more added unto the Lord, multitudes both 
of men and women” (Acts v.14). (4) Directed Waters. The 


pia 
a 


RIVERS. 187 


course of the river was towards the East and towards the 
desert (verse 8). The Spirit leads us towards the desert of 
the world to proclaim God’s love to a thirsty world, as He did 
Philip the Evangelist, to meet the Ethiopian (Acts viii. 26, 27) ; 
and He also leads us to look out toward the East of Christ’s 
return. (5) Healing Waters. Wherever the river flowed 
healing followed—‘ the water shall be healed ” (verse 8). . 

“ the waters of the sea shall be healed ” (verse Q, R.V.), ad 
further, the leaves of the fruit trees produced by the waters 
are ‘‘ for healing” (verse 12, R.V.) The Spirit makes alive 
our “‘ death-doomed’”’ body, as well as vivifying the inner 
life of the spirit. (6) Food-providing Waters. Every kind of 
fish is caught (verse 10) by the fisherman. Besides the supply 
_ from the waters, there is the supply produced by the waters. 
The fruit from the trees “‘ shall be for meat” (verse 12). So 
those who are under the Spirit’s direction not only have 
‘enough ”’ but to “spare.”” Enough in the Spirit for one’s. 
own need, and abundance for others. (7) Sacrificial Waters. 
We are not only told the waters came from the “ south side 
of the altar ”’ (verse r), but we are also told that all the blessing 
that came was “‘ because the waters thereof issue out of the 
_ sanctuary ”’ (verse 12, R.V.) The motto of the Earl of Mayo 
is ‘‘ A Cruce salus”’ (salvation by means of the cross). We 
may say the same of the Spirit. The Spirit by means of the 
cross. He comes by no other way, and as we keep near the 
cross we find the vivifying ministry of the Spirit. 

Rivers satisfy. ‘1 will open rivers on the bare heights, 
and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the 
wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water ”’ 
(Isaiah xli. 18). ‘‘ They shall be abundantly satisfied with 
the fatness of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink 
of the river of Thy pleasure ”’ (Psalm xxxvi. 8). The word 
rendered ‘‘ abundantly satisfied ”’ means to give satisfaction, 
‘to satiate, and is variously used. The word is used of ground 
“soaked ”’ with blood (Isaiah xxxiv. 7); of a mother who 
feeds to “‘ satisfy ’’ her child with the breast (Proverbs v. 109) ; 
of the rain which “ watereth”’ the earth (Isaiah lv. 10) ; of 
God Who is said to have “satiated the weary soul” (Jer. 
XxXxi. 25), and of one made “‘ drunken ”’ (Lam. 11. 15). Thus 


188 EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Sea 


eis the Lord promises to “ abundantly satisfy,” it means 
to soak and drench the soul. What a commentary we have 
upon as in what was said of the early disciples ; they 
said, “ These men are filled with new wine.” Surely, too, 
there is some correspondence in the Lord’s Word, when He 
commands and says, ‘“‘ Be not drunk with Wine, wherein is 
excess, but be filled (drunk) with the Spirit.’ As a man 
filled with spirits will do things he would never otherwise 
think of doing, so the Spirit-drenched believer is moved into 


the supernatural and accomplishes things beyond the human 


and is wonderfully and enthusiastically satisfied with Christ, 
so that sin and worldly pleasures have no charm and attraction. 

Rivers magnify. “‘ The waters made him great, the deep 
set him on high with her rivers running about his plants, and 
sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field. There- 
fore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and 
his boughs were multiplied,” &c. (Ezekiel xxxi. 4-9). These 
words are wonderful in their descriptiveness, explaining the 
indebtedness of the Assyrian to God’s national blessing. 
Many a city and country have been enriched by noble rivers. 
America owes a great deal to its lakes and rivers; and the 
_ lochs and lakes of Great Britain and Ireland are waterways 
of history and beauty. There are names which are illustrious 
in the annals of grace, which would never have been known — 
but for the grace which made them luminous. David felt . 
this when he said, “ Thy gentleness hath made me great,” 
and Paul in his three ‘“ yet not I’s”’ tells us that the secret 
_of his life was Christ, the cause of his labour was the grace 
of God, and that the Lord Who spoke in his testimony was _ 
the cause of all he said. 

Of the late George Miiller it is Eve ‘He brought every- 
thing to God, and he brought God into everything.’ No 
wonder he was the man he was, since he was possessed by the 
God he had. : ; 

Rivers Glorify.. “ The glorious Lord will be unto us a 
place of broad rivers and streams”’ (Isaiah xxxiii. 21), so 
says Isaiah in anticipation of what the Lord will be to His 
people in Zion. The glorious Lord will make His people 
glorious in the days to come. And it seems to me, the moral 


RIVERS. | | 189 


and spiritual glory which the Spirit hath wrought in us, will 
‘then be made manifest through us, when Christ comes to be 
admired in His saints. } 
There is a legend of Brittany, which speaks of a fair city 
called Is, which long was engulfed by the ocean, and vanished 
out of human ken. The city, according to the lore, still 
exists, and the people go about its streets, and sometimes the 
bells are heard pealing from the church turret, with celestial 
music. So with the submerged life in the Spirit. There 
comes forth the celestial music of a chastened spirit, of a 
willing heart, of a Christ-possessed life, and a sympathetic 
- ministry. 


TV. THE TERMINAL. 


“ All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full , 
unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they 
return again” (Ecclesiastes i. 7). The sea in Scripture 
imagery stands for unorganized humanity, hence, the four 
great world powers are said to come up “from the sea”’ 
(Daniel vii. 3), and the last great world-power heading up in 
the Antichrist is said to “ rise up out of the sea” (Revelation 
xiii. x). Ezekiel’s river is also said to go ‘into the sea”’ 
(Ezekiel xlvii. 8). We also speak of “ the sea of nations.” 
The purpose and end of the Spirit’s bestowment is as 
Christ Himself says—‘‘ Ye shall be witnesses unto Me.” The 
hungry, dying world needs the Lord Jesus, and we have 
orders to give to it the Bread of Life. During the American 
war, an order was given to plant some heavy guns on the 
top of a hill. The soldiers dragged the guns to the bottom 
- of the hill and could get them no farther. An officer seeing 
the situation, cried, ‘‘Men! It must be done! I have the 
orders in my pocket.” So we have our orders to be witnesses 
unto Christ. Not witnesses to ourselves, but to Him,.and 
- remember what a witness is, he is one who knows experi- 
Pe mentally what he tells to others. One of the later Puritans 
Saas, was one day catechising a number of young disciples, when _ 
as they had answered.the question on effectual calling, he said, 
Pt ‘Stop, can anyone say this using the personal pronoun all 
through ?” Then with broken, sobbing breath, a man stood - 


190 EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Sprrir. 


up and said, “ Effectual calling is the word of God’s own 
Spirit, whereby convincing me of my sin and misery, en- 
lightening my mind in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing 
my will, He doth enable me and persuade me to embrace 
Jesus Christ freely offered me in the Gospel.” . 
When such a personal testimony is given in the Spirit, it 


will be effective in blessing others. This makes us cry 2 


continually. 


“Oh, for a passionate passion for souls ! 

Oh, for a pity that yearns ! 

Oh, for a love which loves unto death ! 
Oh, for a fire that burns ! 

Oh, for a prayer-power that prevails ! 
That pours itself out for the lost . 

Victorious prayer in the Conqueror’s name, 
Oh, for a Pentecost !” 


a 


Syllabus of 
The Dew as an Emblem of the Holy Spit. 
Dew-drops—Dr. Geikie on the dew of Palestine—I. Dew 


is Divine in its Source—‘‘ The Promise ’’’—‘‘ Grace be unto 


God for His unspeakable grace ’’—II. Dew 1s refreshing in its 
favour—His delight—Three classes of Christians re God’s 


 will—Ill. Dew is beneficial in its service—Canon Tristram on 


the dew of Hermon—Occupied with the Lord—Dionysius and 
Plato—Occupied for the Lord—Nelson’s advice to Colling- 
wood and Rotherham—Occupied by the Lord—Fable of 
earthen pots—‘‘ One Spirit’”—IV. Dew 1s precious m ts 


—benefit—The beggar and Paganini on London Bridge—V. 


Dew is saturating in its contact—Gideon’s action re the fleece— 
“ Pressed” and “ wringed’’—‘‘ Tighten your grips’’—VI. 
Dew is produced according to law—Quotation as to how dew 


is produced—Four laws—VII. Dew is silent in tts coming— 


“He certainly do recommen’ hisself mos’ highly ”—VIII. 
Dew is refreshing in its ministry—Sarah Smiley on early com- 
munings with God—New things ever made new—IX. Dew is 
hiding in its enclosure—‘‘ The Gory dew ”—X. Dew 1s veflec- 
tive in its mirroring—‘ 1 know mister, he lives in our street # 
—XI. Dew is rich in its contents—What is found in the dew— 
The road surveyor and his Christianity—XII. Dew 1s 
emblematic of strength—Pulsford on “ The dew of his youth ” 
—The instruments God uses—XIII. Dew is glorified in tts 


_association—‘1 will be as the dew ’’_McCheyne on the 


dew—‘ Reproached”” and ‘‘resteth’’—Dr. Henry Wilson’s 
hand on the dynamo—XIV. Dew ts identified with Christ— 
Christ out in the cold—Ullysses and the sirens versus Orpheus. 


19! 


THE DEW. 


Mx have spoken of the glory and aes ji the dews! 


drops, Milton calls them 


“Stars of morning, dew-drops, which the sun 
Impearls on every leaf and flower.” 
Tennyson follows in similar strain—‘‘ Every dew-drop paints 
a bow.” Coleridge calls them “ gems of the morning,” a nd 
George Eliot declares 
“ The dew-bead 
Gem of earth and sky-begotten.”’ 


_ The dew of the east is not the same as in the west. Dr. 


Geikie says: ‘There is no dew, properly so-called, in — 


Palestine, for there is no moisture in the hot summer air to 
be chilled into dewdrops by the coolness of the night, as in a 
climate like our’s. From May to October rain is unknown, 
the sun shining with unclouded brightness day after day. 
The heat becomes intense, the ground hard; and vegetation 
would perish but for the moist west ence that come each 
night from the sea. The bright skies cause the heat to 
radiate very quickly into space, so that the nights are as 
cold as the day is the reverse. To this coldness of the night- 
air the indispensable watering of all plant life is due. The 
winds, loaded with moisture, are robbed of it as they pass 
over the land, the cold air condensing it into drops of water, 
which fall in a gracious rain of mist on every thirsty blade.” 


I. DEw 1s DIVINE IN ITS SOURCE. 


A part of Isaac’s blessing upon Jacob was, ‘“‘ God give 


thee of the dew of Heaven”’ (Genesis xxvii. 28). The dew is 
here said to be one of the gifts of God. As the dew is one of 
the good gifts of God’s providence, so the Spirit is the perfect 
gift of His grace. 
“ Dews fall apace, 
The dews of grace, 
Upon this soul of sin ; 
And Love Divine 
Delights to shine 
Upon the waste within.” 
192 


Tne Dew. 2% 193 


One of the sentences which expresses what the Spirit is, is 


“The Promise of the Father.’ Someone has said, “ There 
are 31,000 promises in God’s Word,” but there is only one 
which is called ‘‘ the promise”? (Luke xxiv. 49; Acts i 4: 
‘ii. 33, 39; Galatians iii. 14), and only One Who is “ the Holy 
Spirit of Promise”? (Ephesians i. 13). He is ‘‘ the Promise” 
because He was promised to Christ as the result of His work 


Bae, upon the Cross, and Christ promised Him to us as so 


ascension gift ; and the Spirit is “ the Holy Spirit of Pr omise ’ 
because He promises we shall have the inheritance of which 


ie He is the Earnest. 


a The bestowal of the Spirit is the gift of grace. Yea, He 
~ is called ‘‘ The Spirit of Grace.’’ But for God’s giving there 
would be no having, so we say, ‘“‘ Grace” (“ thanks” is the 
“same word as “ grace’’) ‘‘ be unto God for His unspeakable 
grace’’ (11. Corinthians ix. 15), for the “ gift’ spoken of is 
the grace referred to in the context. Unless we bottom our | 


blessings on God’s grace, we have no foundation on which to 


rest. Giving is His glory, giving is His enrichment, for as in 
the feeding of the 5,000 there was more food to give out after 
the feeding of the multitude,* so the Lord’s enrichment of us 
js the enrichment of Himself. Let us keep on the ground of 
- grace, for there we are not only on sure ground for ourselves, 
_ but we are on pleasing terms with Him. He delights to bestow 
upon us the dew of His Spirit, and we give Him double delight 
when we receive the givings of His grace. 


JI. DEW IS REFRESHING IN ITS FAVOUR. 


“The king’s favour is as the dew upon the grass ’’ (Prov. 
xix. 12). The word ‘‘ favour’? comes from a root which 


means to be pleased with, to satisfy. Its use in the Psalms 


will illustrate its meaning; it is rendered “acceptable,” 
“will” “ good pleasure,” ‘‘desire’’ (Psalm xix. 14; xl. 8; 
li. x8; cxlv. 16). There is no thought so stimulating as the 
consciousness of the Lord’s delight in us. The joy of giving 


-* The “ fragments '’ mentioned in John vi. 13 do not mean pieces 
the people had handled, but broken pieces ready to give. The baskets 


were market baskets. 
N 


1 


194 _ EMBLEMS OF THE HoLy*Spirirt.. 


Him joy is the joy of joys. God loves all men with the love — 
of compassion, but He loves those who do His will with the 


love of complacency. God’s will is not some hard rule to 


follow, some tight-rope upon which one has to balance one’s. 


self, some tread-mill upon which we fruitlessly tread, it is a 


garden of delights, a road of safety, and a task of happy — 
result. Some groan under God’s will and complain at His 


dispensations ; others bear God’s will as an inevitable which 


cannot be helped ; while others delight in God’s will and find ~- 
» Him in every circumstance. When we delight in God’s will 


He has a special delight in us. When His pleasure is our 
pleasure what pleasure we give Him. There are three classes 


of Christians in reference to God’s will. They might be called — 


submitters, committers and admitters. The submitters give 
in and surrender because they are obliged to ; the committers 


give over themselves to the Lord, but they rather tremble or © 


wonder what the consequences will be ; but the admitters ask 


Him to come in and will in them, to will and to do of His good | 


pleasure. These latter delight His heart and find His favour 
to their own satisfaction. The better way is to 
“ Receive Him as the dew in thy heart, 
O thirsty one, who long His grace hath sought. 


‘Dew forms in stillness ; struggle not nor strive ; 
What thou dost need to learn is to receive. 


“ The air surrounding thee is full of God, 

With love and life and blessing for thee stored ; 
_ Get cool and quiet and the dew will fall— 

A little at a time, not once for all.” 


III. DEw IS BENEFICIAL IN ITS SERVICE. 


“ Like the dew of Hermon, that cometh down upon the 
mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the 
blessing, even life for evermore ”’ (Psalm cxxxiii. 3, R.v.) Again, 
we need to remind ourselves that the dew in Palestine is 
different from that in the west. Canon Tristram speaks of the 


dew of Hermon in recounting his travels. He says: ‘‘ We. 


had sensible proof at Rasheiya of the copiousness of the dew 
of Hermon, spoken of in Psalm cxxxiii. 3, where Zion is only 


another name for the same mountain. Unlike most other - 


mountains, which gradually rise from lofty table lands, and 


Sane 


Tue Dew. ee Sos 


~ often at a great distance from the sea, Hermon starts at once 


to the height of nearly ten thousand feet from a platform 


- scarcely above the sea-level. This platform, too—the upper 


Jordan valley and marshes of Merom—is for the most part 
an impenetrable swamp of unknown depth, whence the 
seething vapour, under the rays of ‘an almost tropical sun, is _ 


almost constantly ascending into the upper atmosphere 


during the day. The vapour, coming in contact with the 
snowy sides of the mountain, is rapidly congealed, and so 


precipitated in the evening in the form of dew, the most 


copious we ever experienced. It penetrated everywhere, and 


saturated everything. The floor of our tent was soaked, the 


bedding was covered with it, our guns were dripping, and dew- 
drops hung about everywhere. No wonder that the foot of 


- Hermon is clad with orchards and gardens of such marvellous 


fertility in this land of drought.” 


The dwelling together in unity, the Psalmist likened to the 
precious ointment running down from the head of Aaron to 
the skirt of his garments, and to the descending dew from 
Hermon to the lower heights. How is that unity obtained ? 
By talking about unity ? No, that will only cause differences. 
There are three simple things to observe: First, be occupted 


_ with the Lord. Dionysius went down to the Academy to 


Plato. Plato asked what he came for. “ Why,’ said 
Dionysius, ‘I thought that you, Plato, would be talking 
against me to your students.” Plato made answer, “ Dost 
thou think, Dionysius, we are so destitute of matter to con- 
verse upon that we talk of thee ?” To be occupied with each 
other is to accentuate our differences and to create animosities ; 


‘put to be taken up with the Lord is to lose sight of our 


_ differences and to create oneness of heart. That was what 


brought Pentecost. The saints had lost sight of each other 


in contemplating their Lord, and the consequence was they 
were fused by the fire of His grace into one glowing mass of 


- concord. Second, be occupied for the Lord. On the day before 


the Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson took Collingwood and Rother- 
ham; who were at variance, to a spot where they could see 
the foe opposed to them. ‘‘ Yonder,” said the Admiral, “‘ are 
your enemies, shake hands and be friends like good 


Oe 


1096 EMBLEMS OF THE HoLy SPIRIT, 


Englishmen.” Concentration of attention upon the enemies 
of the Lord will mean their routing and our victory. The old 


fable of the two earthen pots in the sea makes them Says TE sy 


we clash we are broken.” ‘‘ The daughter of dissension is 
dissolution,” but the daughter of common effort is unity. 
Third, be occupied by the Lord. To keep the unity of the Spirit 


does not mean uniformity in the body of Christ, nor unanimity — 


of mind in everything, but oneness of spirit ; and that one- 
ness of ga is only possible by the unifying Spirit. He is 


called “ One Spirit’’ because He produces oneness of spirit. 
There is not uniformity in the strings of a violin, nor unanimity — 


of sound as the player draws his bow across ther. but there is 


unity of spirit in the harmony produced by the skilled 


musician. So it is when the Spirit fills us and controls us 
in the authority of His Word. . 
When we are thus occupied with the Lord, for Him and By 


Him, we must be a benefit to poor lost, arid humanity, for, 


like the dew of Hermon, we shall cause, in the Spirit’s life, 


the desert to be a frail plain, and the Lord shall command : oe 


His blessing to be enjoyed by us to the full, and in a new way, 
“even life evermore.”’ 


IV. DEW IS PRECIOUS IN ITS BENEFIT. 


One of the benedictions in Isaac’s blessing upon Jacob 


as, ‘“ God give thee of the dew of heaven ”’ (Gen. xxvii. 28) ; 


and Moses pronounced a similar blessing upon the tribe of 


Joseph—“ Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious | 


things of heaven, for the dew ”’ (Deuteronomy XXX. 13). 


When the dew af Heaven’s blessing comes into the life it = 


makes it heavenly. The discords of earth are attuned by the 
hand of the skilled musician, the Holy Spirit. 3 

‘On London Bridge, on one occasion, there stood ache 
and sad, eighty years ago, a poor old beggar man. He 


scraped away wretchedly on his old miserable violin in the — 


attempt to draw a few pennies from the passers-by, but no 


one seemed to listen or stop, and his poor old heart was down ~ 
in his toeless boots, and cold. A stranger passed along the we 
Bridge, and suddenly halted beside the poor old fiddler, and ay 
listened while the weary, wistful eyes searched his face for — 


ry. We Cad 2 i 
i id by a, rt me 
A se ay * « 


es 


Sia ROMAN, 


Pe Nepee s 


hg 
t 


BS Pe Sa ERE ee 


ensign fi Aeat 
RA 


aries 
aS 


es 


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(es) 


THE Dew. cae 197 , 


‘Charity, for the love of God!’ Instead of the hoped-for 


penny the stranger asked for the fiddle : he would help witha 


~ tune. The stiff, numbed fingers were glad to pass the old 


thing over, and the new hands began to play a low, plaintive 
melody that made the first passer-by find a tear start from 
his heart on the way to his eye, and he stopped and threw a 
penny in the old beggar’s tattered hat, but still lingered, for 
the tune is going on. Then another stopped ; another penny, 
and he lingered too. Then another, another, another, and 
yet they are coming and stopping. In the red heap of coppers 


in the old man’s hat there are now appearing the white gleam 
_of sixpences and shillings. In a few minutes there is a dense 


crowd of thousands of people massing more and more on the 
Bridge, while yonder big policeman, instead of saying, ‘ Move 
on!’ places himself, with tears in his eyes, within hearing of 
the wondrous strains. Still, from that decrepit old violin, 


_. melody like an echo of the song that the angels sang is floating _ 


over their heads, and the decrepit old hat is brim-full of coins. 


‘Jt is Paganini! It is Paganini !’ passes the whisper along.” 


A master hand mastered the old man’s violin, and when the 
Spirit masters us with the dew of His grace, what melody of 


_ love, and patience, and fortitude, and purity, He produces, 


~ even as He did in the life of Joseph. 


V. DEW IS SATURATING IN ITS CONTACT. 
When Gideon wished to put the. Lord to the test he asked 


that the dew might saturate the spread fleece and that the 


ground might be dry all around. In the early morning he 
wrung a bowl full of water from the fleece (Judges vi. 37, 38). 
Is there not something suggestive in Gideon’s action before he 


: got the bowl of dew? “He thrust”’ (r.v., ‘‘ pressed ”’) ‘‘ the 


fleece together, and wringed the dew out.” The word 


“ thrust’’ is a primary one, and means to press together ; and 


the word “‘ wringed”’ is also a primary one, and means to 
suck out, to drain, to squeeze. It is used of the bird offered 


in sacrifice whose blood was to be wrung out (Leviticus i. 15). 


Of the draining of a cup (Ezekiel xxiii. 34). Gideon would 


_ never have got the dew from the fleece by a passing touch, 


. _ there had to be the earnest grip and resolute wringing. The 


LOB Ge. EMBLEMS OF THE HOLy Spirit. 


same thing applies to the enduing of the Spirit. Christ 
went down into the waters of death before He got the endue- 


ment of the Spirit. He was tried in the wilderness before it 


is said of Him, “ He returned in the power of the Spirit.” 
Christ has taught that those who plead effectually are those 
who pray with importunity (Luke xi. 5-10; xviii. 5). The 
disciples tarried in the upper room before they were clothed 
with the Spirit’s power. It was the prayer which was “ made 
earnestly ’’ by the Church that brought Peter out of prison 


(Acts xil. 5, R.V.) It was because Elijah “‘ prayed earnestly” 


that the heavens were shut up and opened again, and it is 


“the effectual fervent of a righteous man which availeth _ 


much ”’ (James v. 16, 17). Our earnestness is not the cause 
of God’s giving, but it is the condition which makes us appre- 
ciate His bestowments. Listlessness and slackness God 
abominates. Unbelief is characteristic of both, but faith 
grips and goes. ‘Tighten your grips,’ Rutherford used to 
say. They who tighten their grips will find they are gripped 
and will be able to grip the tighter. Those who press the 
fleece of God’s promises will always find the dew of the Spirit’s 
blessing. 


- 


VI. DEW Is PRODUCED ACCORDING TO LAW. 


‘“ Who hath begotten the drops of dew ?” (Job xxxviii. 28), 
God asked Job long ago. Dew is produced by a given law, | 


“If clouds are necessary to produce rain, sunshine is an 
essential to the formation of dew. A dewy morning only 
follows a day whose sun has well warmed up the earth. It is 
necessary that the heat should readily radiate into the sur- 
rounding atmosphere by night. When the surface of the 
earth thus cools down more rapidly than the incumbent air 
about it, and when the air is saturated with moisture, then, 


by the contact of temperatures, the air becomes unable LO. 
retain its moisture, and yields its sprays and vapours to be 


shaped by a natural law, the same which rounded the world 
out of chaos, and orbed the universe; and then what was 


invisible becomes visible in drops of settling dew. So, when- | 


ever dew is seen to fall there must first have been a flowing 
down of sunshine in the day, and then a responsive current of 


THE Dew. | 199 
warmth uprising in the night towards the region whence it 
came. The earth receives and yet returns the heat the 
heavens gave, and as if to reward such gratitude the dew 
descends to refresh and gladden its beseeching and thankful 

breast.”’ a 
As the dew is formed according to the law specified above, 
so the Spirit is given and operates according to the law of 
grace. The Father, like the sun to the earth, comes to us in 
the Divine love of His grace in Christ, and Christ in the 
warmth of that expressed love is associated with the moist 
atmosphere of the Spirit’s life, and the consequence is the 
bestowment of the dew of His grace, namely, the adaptability 
and suitability of the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus 
- which makes us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 
“viii. 2). In Romans vii. and vill. there are four laws men- 
‘tioned. The moral law which is holy, just and good, but like 
the judge with the black cap pronouncing death upon the 
guilty criminal, only condemns us to death ; there is the law 
of sin in our members, which operates like a fatal disease in 
the body ; there is the law of the mind or conscience, which 
like an accusing witness puts us to shame ; and there is the 
Jaw of the Spirit, which like the marriage of the warm earth 
and the cool atmosphere, produces the freeing life of the dew 
of His blessing, which throws off the habit of sin, even as the 
ascending sap in the tree throws off the dead oak leaves. 


VII. DEw IS SILENT IN ITS COMING. 


Hushai in his subtle advice to Absalom, counsels him to 
get a sufficient number to go against David, and says, “ So 
shall we come upon him. . . . and light upon him as the dew 
falleth on the ground” (11. Samuel xvii. 12). The visitations 
of the Spirit are silent and searching, and yet none the less 
real and stimulating. All the great forces of nature are silent 
in their working. Life with its energy, spring with its beauty, — 
gravitation with its attraction, the sun in its coming, the 
moon in its shining, the stars in their courses, and the earth 
moving on its axis, are all silent and potent. The Spirit 
comes not with blare of trumpet, and boom of cannon, but 
like the gentle-dew He comes quietly and surely ; and a proof 


200 ~—~-EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


of His infilling is a quiet and gentle life and an unobtrusive 


manner. Two coloured men came up to the outskirts of a_ 


crowd on one occasion, when a United States’ Senator was 


making a campaign speech. After listening to the speech for 


about ten minutes, one of them turned to his companion and 
asked : 

“Who am dat man, Satine i 

“Ah don’ know what his name am,’’ Sambo replied, “ but 
he certainly do recommen’ hisself mos’ highly.” 

There will be no recommendation of ourselves if we are 
_ filled with the Spirit, but we shall recommend Christ. When 
Stephen was filled with the Spirit he said, ‘I see Jesus.” 


VIII. THE DEw Is REFRESHING IN ITS MINISTRY. 


_ Job says, ‘“‘ The dew lay all night upon my branch, my 
glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand ”’ 
(Job xxix. 19, 20). Sarah Smiley, in speaking of the precious- 
ness of early communings with God, says: ‘‘ It is one of the 
rarest exceptions when no dew falls in my garden, and 
perhaps it is nourished even more in this way than by the 


rains. As I go to my morning work among the flowers, the — 
dew rests everywhere, often as heavily as though a shower ~ 


had fallen—that is, everywhere that there is life to receive it - 


for I do not find the dew upon the garden paths, nor on any © 
- barren spot. But every leaf is laden and every flower is 


fresh from this baptism by the hand of God. And as I lightly 
stir the soil around my flowers, where it is becoming hard and 


impervious to air, these heavy dews contribute their small . 
quota of rich refreshing to the soil itself.’ Then Sarah 


Smiley applies the spiritual lesson of the early dew, “ Oh, 
blessed dew of the speech of God! How faithful and con- 
stant is thy coming! How thou visitest us in the still hours 


and in the hours of shadow! How dost thou utter thy 


wisdom almost inaudibly ! we see no cloud, we hear no sound, 
and yet Thy presence is with us and our souls are rejoicing. 
Thy love bathes our souls with delight. We bow down 
beneath its pressure in adoring gratitude. The fragrance of 


re 


A 
Pa 


NS 


Re et ce 


Aus 


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®, xiake rz “ Pri a H f 
(A ee By » . 1 z 
CT pena PSR 2 ans a > ‘Stake on 
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ee ees sig: Pee roe Bes 
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our souls goes forth to Thee as every pore of our being opens 


at this soft touch. We are alone with Thee, and Thou 


Tue DEw 2 201 


speakest to our hearts. Thou canst not come to us thus in ~ 
the broad light of the busy day. We bless Thee for the still 
hours in which our souls are charged anew with life.”’ 


The word ‘‘ fresh’ in the atau from Job means to > be 
“ new,’ as the margin gives—‘‘ My glory was new in me.’ 
_ The word means to be new in the sense of renewed, it comes 
from a root which means to rebuild and to renew. The root 
word is used in speaking of the repairing of a house, as when _ 
Joash was “ minded to vepaiy the house of the Lord” 
(11. Chronicles xxiv. 4); to confirm a transaction, as when 
Samuel said of Saul’s election as King, “‘ let us go to Gilgal — 


and renew the kingdom there” (1. Samuel xi. 14); and the 


Psalmist uses the same word when he says, “ Thy youth is 
renewed like the eagles ” (Psalm cili. 5). The word which 
Job uses means new and renewed, or continually new. The 
products of the Spirit are always fresh. The word is generally 
rendered “new.” Some of its uses will illustrate. The new 
fruits found in the garden of the Spirit’s grace (Canticles 
vii. 13), the new spirit of God-consciousness (Ezekiel xi. 19), 
the new heart of affectionate loyalty (Ezekiel xxxvi. 26), the 
new threshing instrument of effective service (Isaiah xli. 15), 
the new song of adoring worship (Psalm xl. 3), the new song of 
glorious victory (Psalm xcviii. 1), and the new things of 
Divine revelation (Isaiah xlviii. 6), are all the gift of the Holy 
Spirit. It is only these fresh things of His grace that can 
keep us fresh in our pace. His renewings are ever “ fresh as 
morning dews distilled on flowers.” 


IX. DEw IS HIDING IN ITS ENCLOSURE. 


“ The dew lay round about the host ; and when the dew 
that lay was gone up, behold upon the face of the wilderness 
there lay a small round thing’ (Exodus xvi. 13, 14). Thus 
the disclosure of the manna is mentioned. As long as the dew 
was on the ground the manna was hidden, but when the dew 
was exhaled, the manna was revealed. What a type of the 
hie of the Spirit and His disclosing of Christ. Mr. Neil tells 

‘there is a plant called the Gory dew. It consists of little 

ae upon the ground. Viewed under a microscope, they 


202 Hires OF THE Hoy Spin, : as 


appear as minute alepules: Theres isa large spot of grass land © 


near Hastings covered with it. While the earth is dry it 
remains unseen, but when the rain descends the startled 
passer-by observes that the whole meadow has suddenly 


become red, like a gory sea. So with men in their natural | 


state. While all is dry and barren they cannot see the blood 


of Christ. They fail to discern the rich cleansing tide that 


stains the wood of the accursed tree, and bedews the ground 
_ of Golgotha. It is one of the mysteries of grace, that from the 


carnal eyes our God is a God that hideth Himself. But, oh! | 


how differently it looks when the Spirit of God descends in 
showers of grace, taking the things of Jesus, and showing 
them to us. How plainly the precious blood is seen now, the 
costly blood of atonement, that has made our peace. Every 
other object seems to fade away as we stand, and wonder, and 
adore in the presence of the bleeding Lamb of God.” 


X. DEW IS REFLECTIVE IN ITS MIRRORING. 


‘““ Jacob shall be in the midst of many people, as a dew 


from the Lord” (Micah v. 7). Being blessed of the Lord, - 


Jacob in turn becomes a power for Him. Pongicllow SYS 
“Every dewdrop hath a whole heaven in it.”’ 


, An open-air preacher was describing the Lord Jesus to a 
number of children in a street in the slums of a great city. 


The children listened with rapt attention to the unfolding of — 
the Man of men. He had not mentioned any name, but when — 


the question was asked as to Who the Personage was, a boy 
immediately replied, “‘I know him, mister, he lives in our 
street.”’ The boy knew a humble follower of Christ who was 
so like Christ that as he listened to the unfolding of the Lord’s 

character, he recognized the Lord Himself. We are exhorted 
- to walk as Christ walked (1. John ii.6). If we did, what a 
revelation of the Christ there would be to the world. The 


world is hungry for Christ, and He Who is the Bread of Life 


is the only One Who can feed. He says to us, as He said to 
the disciples long ago, ‘‘ Give ye them to eat.’’ And surely if 
_ the world sees that Christ satisfies us, they will want to be 


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THE DEw. . : 203 


satisfied too. This satisfied and satisfying life is only possible 
as we live in the Spirit. 


A dewdrop fell from a far cloud height, 
And through long hours of lonely night 
The little orb with its paling light 
Was lost from view : 
But earth mists soon withdrew apace, 
And the great sun peering into space . 
Finds there his own reflected face, Pate 
And draws the dewdrop to its heaven above. 


A soul possessed of heavenly birth - 
Came down to do its work on earth,— 
What was the end of honest worth 
Who cared or knew? 
But when life’s hour of night was run, 
The Father, seeing all ‘‘ well done,”’ 
Finds His own Image in His son 
And takes him to Himself in fullest love. 


XI. Dew IS RICH IN ITS CONTENTS. 


We are told, ‘“‘ The dew seems to be the richest present 
the atmosphere gives to the earth, having, when purified in a 
vessel, a black sediment like mud at the bottom ; this seems 
to cause the darkish colour to the upper part of the ground, 
and the sulphur which is found in the dew may be the chief 
ingredient of the cement of the earth, sulphur being very 
glutinous, as nitre is dissolvent. Dew has both these.”’ 

Jehovah, in speaking of His Word, says, ‘‘ My doctrine 
shall drop as the rain, My speech shall distil as the dew”’ 
(Deuteronomy XxXxXil. 2). God’s Word gently drops into the 
heart and imparts its nature in those who allow it to work. 
As the glutinous sulphur and the dissolvent nitre are found 
in the dew, so the Holy Spirit dissolves the hardness of the 
heart, and causes His grace to be an adhesive quality in our 
lives. There is no greater proof of His presence than when 
His character is reproduced. | | 

_ A road surveyor who was finishing the levelling and 
paving of a long stretch of street, asked a minister of the 
gospel, in an enthusiastic tone, if he did not think it was 
splendid. ‘ You see,” he said, ‘‘I am trying to put my 
Christianity into the streets I make.’’ If Christ is in the heart 


se Aaa es pe ms Mee 


“BOA EMBLEMS OF THE Hory Spirit. 


_ by the Spirit, Christianity will certainly be in the street, yea, 
in everything. He will be in the home as the Harmonizer, — 


in the market as the Adjuster, in the service as the Worker, 
in the Church as the Lover, in the world as the Example, in 


the heart as the Purifier, and in the Lord’s work as the 


~ Mover, when He dwells within as the Sanctifier. 


" 


XII. DEW Is EMBLEMATIC OF STRENGTH. 


Speaking of Christ and His future glory as King and 
Victor, we read of Him, ‘“ Thou hast the dew of Thy youth” 
(Psalm cx. 3), that is, fulness of power and strength. 
Pulsford comments on these words, ‘‘ Jesus has the beauty of 
eternity’s morning upon Him to-day and will retain it for 
ever. As though He were but now proceeding from the 
Father, He wears, unchanged, the pledges of His youth. 


And from the womb of the resurrection morning He ascended, — 


in the clothing of our glorified humanity. Everlasting morn- 
ing sits upon His brow, and comes forth from Him as the 
regenerative power of all souls. With Him the fresh, 
fragrant morning, the rich, dewy morning, standeth still for 
ever.” : 

The Spirit is the believer’s power and strength. Re- 
member the prayer of Paul for the believers at Ephesus, 
“that they might be strengthened with might by the Spirit 
in the inner man ”’ (Ephesians iii. 16). That is what we want — 
and may have—the power, the strength of the Spirit working 


in us mightily. In Him we are strong to be weak and ~ 


nothing, that Christ may be everything ; strong to go forth 
ne aD willing, loving service ; strong to be empty, that He may 
fill us; and strong to be humble, that He may exalt us. 
Remember how our Father delights to use weak things, viz., 
a worm, Jacob, to thresh a mountain; a little David to 


overcome a Goliath; a stammering Moses to lead God’s ~ 


people ; a once-backsliding Peter to preach the Gospel: a 
young lad to feed a multitude ; 300 lapping men to defeat a 
host of Midianites; and the jawbone of an ass to slay'a% 
thousand Philistines. Oh! believers, let Him be your 
strength, not only in theory, but in living reality. 


‘HE SDEW... co = 205 
XIII. DEW IS GLORIFIED IN ITS ASSOCIATION. 


One of the most precious promises of God:to Israel is, “ I 
- will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and 
cast forth his roots like Lebanon ”’ (Hosea xiv. 5). McCheyne 
in commenting upon this verse as typifying the Spirit, says, 
“It is peculiarly true of the dew that it moistens everything 
where it falls; it leaves not one leaf unvisited ; there is not 
a tiny blade et grass on which the diamond drops do not 
descend ; every leaf and stem of the bush is burdened with 
the precious load. Just so it is peculiarly true of the Spirit, 
that there is not a faculty, there is not an affection, or power, 
or passion of the soul on which the Spirit does not descend, 
working through all, refreshing, reviving, renewing, recreating 
all.’ Similar promises of God’s favour and blessing are 
found in Isaiah xviii. 4; and xxvi. 19. 


; The Spirit is also glorified in His association. He glories 
in glorifying Christ, and He is glorified in the description 

which Christ gave of Him as recorded in His parting ENCES ee 

to His disciples. One of His names is “ The Spirit of Glory ” 


(1. Peter iv. 14), and not without significance is the associa- ~_ 


tion in which it is found—‘‘ If ye be reproached for the name 
of Christ, happy are ye, for the Spirit of Glory and of God 
resteth upon you.’ The reproach to which reference is made 
is no mere taunt, it means real persecution. The word is 
rendered “‘ revile”” (Matthew v. 11), “‘ cast in teeth” (Matthew 
xxvii. 44), “ upbraideth”’ (James i. 5), and “ suffer reproach oe 
(1. Timothy iv. ro). When we are suffering wrongfully for 
_ the sake of Christ, then we need the tempering of the Spirit — 
_and we have His benediction, for He 1s said to rest upon Us. 
The word “‘ resteth”’ is a forceful one—‘‘ anapauo.” It is a_ 
compound word. ‘Pawo’ means to pause, to stop, and 
‘ana,’ as a prefix, signifies intensity or repetition, hence, 
the meaning is to repose, to take rest, to be refreshed. The 
word is rendered ‘‘ vest” in Matthew xi. 28, “ take ease”’ in 
Luke xii. 19, and “‘ refreshed” in 1. Corinthians xvi. 18. ‘Lhe 
compensation to the sufferer is, the Spirit © vesteth’’ upon 
him to his spirit’s repose in God, ease of mind, rest of heart, 
and refreshment of soul. A dear friend of mine, the ee 


206 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY Spun. 


Dr. Henry Wilson, of New York, when (ying illin Atlanta and ~ 


suffering much, for one lung was hardened and the other was 
hardening, looked up in the face of one who was nursing him, 
and with a sweet smile said, ‘‘ It is all right when your hand is 
on the great dynamo.’”’ When we rest in Him, and the Spirit 
rests upon us, all is well, no matter from where the suffering 
comes. 


XIV. DEw IS IDENTIFIED WITH CHRIST. 


“My head is filled with dew” (Song of Solomon v. 2). 


These are the words of the Bridegroom. The Bride is asleep — 


while the Bridegroom is outside in the cold night air, with the 
dew upon His head and locks. He wanted to come in and 
bless her with His presence. Alas! alas! how many 
Christians there are who are asleep, like the Church at 


Laodicea, mixing up with the world; asleep as to their - 


privileges and responsibilities, while Christ is outside in the 
cold. Christ is waiting with fulness of blessing, fulness of 
power, fulness of peace and joy. Often we hear Christians 


asking if there is any harm in this or that, referring to doubtful 


books and questionable places. An old classic story illus- 
trates this. It is supposed that the sirens of the Mediter- 
ranean sang so sweetly as to allure the sailors who came 
within their charms to destruction. One, Ullysses, returning 
from the Trojan war, was warned of this danger by Circe, 


who directed that he should stop the ears of his men with _ 
wax and then have himself tied to the mast. This was done, — 


but when Ullysses came within hearing of the music he was so 
enchanted that he made frantic signs to his sailors to unloose 
him that he might steer for the shore. But, as previously 
instructed by him, they only bound him all the more. But 
when-the Argonauts came, they needed not to have recourse 
to any such expedients; and why? Because they had one 
Orpheus, a sweet singer, on board, and so the sirens had no 
charm for them. Oh! if we were fully alive to the attractive 
power, the charm, the beauty of the person of Christ,—it He 


dwelt in our heart by faith,—we should be so enraptured . 


with Him that everything else but Himself would lose its 
attractiveness for us, and we should be so full of Christ that 


\ 
4 


‘Tue Dew. 207 


we should have no time, but for Him ; no voice, but to speak 


of Him ; no eyes, but to look to Him ; no hands, but to serve 
Him ; no feet, but to walk with Him ; no mind, but to think 
of Hine Thus we should indeed be filled with the Spirit, for 
the proof that we are filled with the Spirit is as Christ is seen 
in our life. May He of Whom we have been finland draw 


~ our Aas closer to our Beloved. 


‘“OQ dewdrop! O dewdrop I 
I would be a dewdrop too! 
When the fatal glow, 
Sultry, still, and slow, 
Makes the scentless flowers 
Droop in withering bowers,— 
Leaf and shade and bloom 
Touch with early doom,— 
We would follow, sweet and bright, 
Blending life and love and light, 
Making what was parched and dreary 
Glad and lovely, fresh and fair ; 
Softly cheering what was weary, 
Sparkling, starlike, everywhere.”’ 


Syllabus. of 
The Water as an Emblem of the Holy Spirit. 


I. Propitiatory Pictures—Atonement a finished work— 
Water under the ark—Carey and the soldier—Water out of 
the Rock—The Smitten Rock and the Supplying Stream— 
Water in the cloven place—“ Jaw’ or ‘“‘ Lehi’ ?—Quotation. 
from Grant—Water over the bird of sacrifice—Lady’s gift to 
wounded soldier—Water and ashes on the individual—Water 
beside the altar—Augustine on Christ’s death—II. Pentecostal 
Portraitts—Bathed in water—‘‘ Louo”’ and ‘“‘ Nipto ’’—Water 
in bottle and well—Spring at Lititz—Dyer’s sayings—Bottles 
and wells—Water in Egypt and Canaan—Sixteen particulars | 
—Lapping up the water—‘“ My life is a complete failure,” and 
energized—The water of the upper and nether springs— 
Walley on “ God is able”’ and his experience—Water in the 
ditches—Human and Divine—“ Give candy to each other ’— 
Ill. Pointed Particulars—“ Living water ’’—‘‘ Springing up”’ 
—‘ Holy water ’’—Methodist class leader’s reference—Puri-. 
fying water—Cleansing of the Levites—IV. Pertinent Points 
—Water is essential—Spiritual water—Begetter and main- 
tainer—Water is growth-producing—Threefold growth— 
Michael Angelo and work—Water is lifting—How the scows 
lifted—From what the Lord lifts us—Water is submerging— 
The Pontoon’s work—Love and prayer got her in—Water is 
cleansing—Pure things which the purity of the Pure Spirit 
gives—Water is satisfying—Elohim and El—We need Father, 
Son and Spirit—‘‘ Thou art what I want ’’—Water is reviving 
—The old tree sprouting—Water is refreshing—Where the 
surveyor found water in Florida—Sir E. Denny’s testimony— 
V. Precious Promises—The Word speaking at Edinburgh 
Conference. 


208 


THE WATER. 


S David took five smooth stones out of the brook, so 
we take five points out of the stream of the Word, as 
- Suggested by the references to water, namely, plopriatery. 
pictures, Pentecostal portraits, pointed Particulars, pertinent 


oe points, and precious promises. - 


oe “8 PROPITIATORY PICTURES. 


We speak of Christ’s sacrifice as propitiatory, because the 
- consciousness of sin makes us feel Christ alone can give satis- 
_ faction for it. This He has done “ once for all.” God has 
_ met His own requirement in Christ’s work. Atonement is 
not a work continuous in us, it is the completed work apart 
from us. Christ gave to God for us a perfect sacrifice, which 


~ gives perfect satisfaction, bestows a perfect conscience, and 


‘provides a perfect edition 


_ Water under the ark. Noah and his family are said to be 
“saved by *water ”’ (L Peter ili. 20). The waters that over- 
_ flowed the disobedient to their destruction bore the ark up to 
Noah’s deliverance. There were two factors in his salvation, 
namely, the water and the ark. So there are two workers in 
our redemption, the Holy Spirit and Christ. He enabled 
Christ to offer Himself to God, and He brings us into contact 
with Christ, and as the ark passed through the judgment, so 
we have died with Christ in His death (this is the meaning of 


: _ baptism), as the dying soldier said to Carey, when the latter 


_ asked him if he was afraid to die, ‘‘ Oh, no, sir, I have died 
already !”” He meant that in Christ’s death he had died for. 
his sin, and therefore did pat fear the falling asleep. 


fs *“ Dia,” with the genitive, means “saved by means of water,” 
and indicates an active agent. 


209 6) 


220. EMBLEMS OF THE HoLy SPIRIT. 


Water out of the rock. “ Behold, i smote the Rock, that i 
the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed ”’ (Peat 
Ixxviii. 20), thus tersely does the Spirit describe the incident — 
of God’s provision to thirsty Israel, and He further adds, — 
“That Rock was Christ’? (1. Corinthians x. 4). The smitten — 
vock. Before the water came the rock was smitten— 
“He smote the rock.” The word “smote” is a primary — 
- one, and means to smite, and is often used in a punitive | 

sense, hence, it is rendered ‘‘ punish” (Leviticus xxvi. 24), | 
“smote”? (Exodus xii. 29), and ‘‘ smitten”? in referring — 
to God’s judicial acts, and is also the word employed in — 
Zechariah xiii. 7—‘‘ smite the shepherd.’’ He was smitten 
by judgment that we might be saved from it. He was _ 
punished that we might be pardoned. Our rock was stricken _ 


that He might supply all our need. The supplying stream— 
‘The waters gushed out.’”” The Hebrew for “gushed out” 


means to flow freely and is used to describe the plenitude ' 
of the land of Canaan as a land “‘ fowing with milk and 
honey’ (Exodus i. 8, 17). That the water was abundant 


is emphasized by the supplementary statements—‘‘ The | oa 
streams overflowed,” and that ‘‘ they ran in the dry places 
like a river’’ (Psalm cv. 41). The word “ overflowed” gives 


the thought of abundance, for it not only means to gush, but 
to inundate, and with the added significance of force, hence, 
to gallop, to cleanse, to conquer. The word is used of 
‘“yinsed hands”’ and a ‘‘ washed chariot” (Leviticus xv. II; _ 
1. Kings xxii. 38), hence, to cleanse; of a running brook— 


‘The brook that van ”’ (11. Chronicles xxxii. 4) and of a flood ae 


that ‘can... . drown”? (Canticles viii. 7), hence, of force; 
and of an “‘ overflowing rain’’ (Ezekiel xxxviii. 22), and of aie 
horse that ‘‘vusheth into the battle’? (Jeremiah viii. 6). — 
From the wounded Saviour, by the Spirit, there comes to the | 


child of God a cleansing which is thorough, a blessing which ps 
satisfies, a power which is irresistible, a love which is 
unquenchable, a life which is abundant, and a supply which — oe 


is constant. 


Water in the cloven hollow place. The Authorized MSA “ie 
says, ‘‘ God clave a hollow place that was in the jaw” (Judges ~~ 


xv. Ig), but. the Revised Version says, ‘‘ That is in Lehi.” 


THE WATER. 211 


“Lehi” and ‘“‘ jaw”’ is the same Hebrew word. Rotherham 
renders the verse, ‘‘ So then God clave open the hollow that is 
in Lehi, and there came water therefrom, and he drank and 
his spirit revived.’’ The water was not found in the jaw- 
bone of the dead ass, but in a hollow place that God clave 
open at Lehi. The word “ clave’ means to rip, to divide, to 
break ; and is used of one who “‘ cleaveth wood ”’ (Ecclesiastes 
‘Xx. 9), of David’s mighty men who “‘ brake through” the host 
of the Philistines (11. Samuel xxiii. 16), of a bird who lays her 
eggs to “hatch” them (Isaiah xxxiv. 15), and of God’s act 
when He “‘ divided the sea”’ (Psalm Ixxviii. 13). Christ was 
cloven in a place called Calvary, the place of a skull, and . 
from His wounded side there flowed a cleansing stream, and 
because of it, there comes the Spirit’s consecrating power, as 
Toplady says,— 
“Let the water and the blood, 
From Thy riven side when flowed, 


Be of sin the double cure, 
Cleanse me from its guilt and power.” 


The “ hollow place’’ which was cloven means the “ bruising 
place.’ The word for ‘“‘ hollow place” only occurs in one 


~ place, and there it is given “ mortar ’’—‘ Though thou bray a 


- fool in a mortar”’ (Proverbs xxvii. 22). Grant in his numerical | 
Bible comments, God answers by cleaving the ‘‘ Bruising 
place that is in Lehi,” so that water comes out of it, and 
Samson revives. The likeness to the cleft rock in the 
wilderness can hardly escape us. The cross and its results for — 
us are needed to be held in constant remembrance ; and the 

place of bruising—machtesh, the ‘‘ mortar ’’—is not likely to 

make the reference here less plain. The connection with the. 
scene that has just been before us is also evident: so plain 

that our common version speaks of it as ‘‘ the hollow place ”’ 

— socket’ it might mean—‘ that was in the jaw.’ That 

this is not right, the fact of its being “ in Lehi unto this day” 
is sufficient witness. And the bruising-place that is in Lehi 
reminds us surely of the Philistine defeat. Yet the spring 
of water is in marked contrast. Not by “ bruising,’ but by 

being ‘‘ bruised for our iniquity,’ did the Lord of glory pune 
» forth the Cee water for our death-faint souls. 


212. "EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Sprrir. i ey es 


_ Water over the bird of sacrifice. For the Aan of the: 


| leper, two birds had to be taken by the priest, one of which — ae 
_had to be killed over running water, and the other, with the 


blood of its fellow on its wings, was let loose into the open. = 
field. The two birds are a type of the death and resurrection 

of Christ, and the running water is a type of the Spirit in His 
association with Christ, for it was by His power that He 
fulfilled His atoning work. The water was in an earthen, ora _ 


vessel of earth, which is representative of Christ’s humanity. 


In that humanity, filled with the Spirit, He had the acquired 


capacity to die, and by that death the Spirit assures us there 


is cleansing from the leprosy of sin’s defilement. A lady in — 
_ Italy once put a magnificent bouquet of flowersuponthe bed 
of a wounded soldier. The soldier looked up with his pale 


face and his eyes full of tears and said, ‘‘ That is too much 


kindness !’’ “No,” she replied, “not too much for one drop 


of Italian blood.’’ The Spirit reminds us that Christ gave all 


His precious blood for us, and now the least we can do for — 


Him is to consecrate our life to Him. 


Water on the individual. The ordinance of the red helen 


was for cleansing the person who had come in contact with 


death. The heifer had to be free from blemish, red in colour, 


killed and consumed outside the camp, and then its ashes — 3 


were to be kept in a clean place. When a person was defiled 
some of the ashes were to be taken and then “ running water 


was to be put thereto” and it was to be sprinkled upon him. “3 


The whole ordinance is described in detail in Numbers xix., 


and its typical meaning is summarized in Hebrews ix. 13,14. 


As in the Old Testament the ashes (memorial of death) and 
the water are associated, so in the New Testament the ‘‘ blood 
of Christ’? and ‘‘ the Eternal Spirit” are identified. When _ 
the believer comes in contact with the dead things of the ~ 
world, he needs the application of the death of Christ through 
the Spirit to restore the fellowship which has been interrupted. 


Water beside the altar. Ezekiel’s vision of the holy waters — € : 4 
describes how they ‘‘ issued from under the threshold of the 


house .... at the south side of the altar ’’ (Ezekiel xlvii. I); 
and then a description is given of these waters in their life- 


giving flow and fruit-producing qualities. It will be noticed _ 3 


THE WATER. 3 213 


< . the waters are identified with the altar. The blessing of this 


millennial scene has its source, as all blessing has, in the 
_ atoning sacrifice of Christ. God has no blessing to bestow 
apart from that death. His death is the hub around which 
all the universe revolves, His death is the sun which blesses 
all with the warmth of God’s love, His death is the mystic 
key that opens the treasure-trove of His riches, His death is the © 
vital wand that silvers every cave with its benediction, His 
_ death is the forerunner to secure the blessing of heaven, His 
death is the paralyzer of the powers of hell, His death is the 
harbinger of all the good of grace, and all the grace of glory. 
We say with Augustine, ‘‘ Christ’s cross is the Christcross of 
all our happiness ; it delivers us from all blindness of error, 
and enriches our darkness with light ; it restoreth the troubled 
soul to rest ; it bringeth strangers to God’s acquaintance ; it 
maketh remote foreigners near neighbours; it cutteth off 
discord, concludeth a league of everlasting peace, and is the 
bounteous author of all good.” 


~ 


II. PENTECOSTAL PORTRAITS. 


Incidents abound which might be taken as illustrating 
the Spirit’s work. The Word is luminous with Heavenly 
light, throbs with the Spirit’s life, and thrills with Divine love 
as it operates in the heart. 

Bathed in water. Before Aaron and his sons entered upon — 
their priestly office they were washed* or bathed in water 
(Exodus xl. 12) ; the leper had to ‘‘ wash himself” after he 
_ had been sprinkled with the blood (Leviticus xiv. 8, 9): 
anyone touching anything unclean and being touched by an 
unclean person had to “‘ bathe’? himself in water (Leviticus 


SER: 5, Oy Gy 0, 20, 511s T3160, 26.097,. 22° 27); the high priest 


on the day of atonement had to “ wash”’ himself before he 
put on the holy garments (Leviticus xvi. 4), and after the 
atoning work and before he put on his priestly robes he had 
to wash (Leviticus xvi. 24), and also those who attended upon 
him (Leviticus xvi. 26, 28); before Naaman was cleansed 
from his leprosy he had to “‘ wash in Jordan seven times”’ 


* The same Hebrew word occurs in each of the Scriptures cited. 


he Rendered * washed’’ and ‘ bathe.” 


‘ oY 
PLoS etme 


214 ~~ ~EMBLEMS OF THE Hory Spirit. eae 


(u. Kings v. 10) ; and the priests in their attendance upon. 
the tabernacle had first to wash their hands and feet (Exodus _ 
XXX. 20, 21). Wherever the whole body of a person was — 
bathed, apart from the contact which made unclean, it seems _ 
to typify the work of the Holy Spirit in the new birth, where 
the hands and feet only were washed it shadows forth the | a 
preparation in the Spirit which is essential for acceptable — 
service, and where the bathing. was because of uncleanness 
contracted, it denotes the Spirit’s work in applying as blodd’.ste8 
which alone can cleanse. cae 


When Christ washed His disciples’ feet, He referred to a oe 


twofold cleansing when He said, ‘‘ He that has been bathed Sa 


-yeedeth not save to wash his feet” (rR.v., John xiii. 10). 


Christ uses two words, namely, “‘ Jowo,’’ which means to bathe 
the whole person, and is used of being “washed”? in the 


blood (Revelation i. 5), and symbolically of purity (Hebrews ~ 


x. 22) ; and the other word is “ 2zto,’’ which means to cleanse 


-a part of the body, such as the face, hands and feet.* The 
Spirit of God alone is the one Who can bathe us in the oe 
cleansing tide of Calvary whereby we are washed ; He alone an 


can put away all the old associations of the former life of ae a 


sin’s habit, even as-the water removed the traces of leprosy 
from the leper ; and He alone can give us, by means of the 
‘laver of His Word, that personal purity and fitness for service — 2 
in Divine things. 


Water in bottle and well. When Abraham sent Hagar and J 


Ishmael away he gave them bread and a bottle of water. c a 
The supply was soon exhausted, and Hagar expected that 


Ishmael would die, but the Lord opened her eyes to see a 
well (Genesis xxi. 14-19). What a difference between water 
in a well and water in a bottle. At the Lititz Springs in the 
Moravian Settlement at Lititz, Pennsylvania, over the 
principal spring are the words, ‘‘ Gottes Bruennlein hat Wasser _ 
die Fuelle,’ which means, “‘ The Spring of the Lord is full of 


water.’ There is in our Saviour an inexhaustible supply 


*“ Wash thy face” (Matthew vi. 17); ‘‘they wash not their 
hands ’’ (Matthew xv. 2); and” washed the saints’ feet” (1. Timothy 
v. IO). ge hee ake 


: Tue WATER. hare 
as good W. Dyer, of the 18th century, said, ‘‘ He is so excellent 
that no good can be added to Him; and so infinite, that no 
good can be diminished in Him.”’ The bottle of past experi- 
ence will run dry, but the well of constant supply is unfailing. 
- The bottle of the means of grace will sometimes fail, but the 
well of grace is perennial in its freshness. The bottle of 
ordinances may be cracked, but the well of truth is an ever- 
living source. The bottle of our conceptions of truth may be — 
limited, but the promises of God are constant and ever-_ 
availing. The bottle of our service may be meagre, but the — 
_ livingness of His priesthood is evermore. The bottle of our 

devotions may give out, but the devotion of His ever-welling 
love is inseparable. The bottle of our resources will surely 
fail, so we had better throw it away ; but the well of His all- 
sufficiency is God Himself, so we had better be supplied from 
Him, for as Dyer says, ‘‘ He is a Spring full of the water of 
life, a Hive of sweetness, a Magazine of riches, a River of 
pleasures, wherein you may bathe your souls to all eternity.”’ 
Water in Egypt and Canaan. ‘The land, whither thou 

. goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Boe from whence 
ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it 
with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: but the land, whither ye 
go to possess it, 1s a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh 
water of the rain of heaven’’ (Deuteronomy xi. 10, I1). 
Egypt is a type of the world (Revelation xi. 8), and its water 
of earth’s resources ; but the land of Canaan and its heaven 
watered country is typical of the fulness of the Spirit’s 
blessing in Christ. What that land was like and its supplies 
is given in Deuteronomy viii. 7-9, in sixteen particulars. We 
can only indicate their spiritual suggestion. The “ brooks ”’ 
of the Spirit’s power flowing out in testimony (John vii. 38) ; 
the ‘‘ fountains” of the Spirit’s graces springing up to God’s 
praise (John iv. 14); the “ depths”’ of God’s love and grace 
in His Divine purpose (Romans xi. 33); the “ valleys” of 
Christ’s grace in His humiliation and suffering (11. Corinthians 
vill. 9) ; the “ halls” of Christ’s ascension and coming glory 
(Acts i. 12; Zechariah xiv. 4); the ‘ wheat’’* of the Spirit’s 
* The wheat harvest began at Pentecost (Leviticus xxiii. 15, 16) 


‘and is therefore typical of what the glorified Christ can be to us in the 
power of the Spirit, 


a 
+4 


Bas he tee ie -Enpiews OF THE Hoy Soren. 


_ supply in revealing Chee (eples ne ty 0s se 
“barley ’”’* of Christ’ = sea to satisfy the need of our ae 
(John vi. 51); the “vine” of Christ’s life-producing fruit 

fulness (John xv. 1-4) ; the “‘ fig-tvee”’ of the Spirit’s earnest 

of Sonne blessing ape XXiv. 32; Ephesians i. 13, Boh. i 
the “ pomegranate” of the priestly service of Christ (Exodus 
XXxIx. 24; Hebrews iv. 14, 15); the “od olive” of the 
Spirit’s sanctification and service (1. John ii. 27) ; the “‘ honey” 

rs e the Sere: s words of precious promise (Psalm xix. 10) ; the oh 

‘tron’ of the Spirit’s enabling power (Deut. xxxiii. 25) ; 

ae “ brass” of Christ’s enduringness (Revelation i. 15) 5 the» i 
“milk” of the Spirit’s nourishing truth (. Peterii--2)°; and 

‘the rain of the Spirit’s abundant supply (Isaiah xliv. 35 S 

1. Corinthians ix. 8). How foolish that any of us should go — 

to the world of unsatisfaction, or wander in the wilderness of 
crippling unbelief, when we might feed upon the old corn of 

the land. How unwise that we should endeavour to 
water God's gardens with the effort of our own endeavour, — 
when we might have the rain of the pists s all- sufficient : 

- enduement. 3 tee 


Lapping up the water. Only the lappers in Gideon’ S army — 
were chosen for Jehovah’s special service. They were careless 
of their comfort and consecrated and courageous for the fray 
(Judges vii. 4-7). We should be willing to take a dog’s place a" 
(Matthew xv. 27), and to follow our Lord like a dog follows — 
his master, as tCaleb did (Numbers xiv. 24). “‘ My life is a _ 
complete failure,’ said a wealthy Christian man. Why ?. 3 
Because he had gone in the wrong direction. There is a_ 
success which is a failure, and a failure which is a success. — 
Many a Christian worker is energetic, but we need to be — 
energized. The energy which is self-generated, generates to _ 
self ; but the energy which is God produced, produces for God. 
When we get low enough to lap as dogs, God can lift us high — 
enough to be deliverers. Paul gives us the secret of his 


7 he balay harvest beset to be gathered at tie season of the 
Passover. _ ‘ 

t Caleb means a dog. How appropriate when He says, : He os 
followed the Lord fully.” : | 


THe WATER. Wes ace 


ministry in the expression, “Striving according to His 
working ”’* (Colossians i. 29). There is all the difference in 
_. the world between a hand-saw used to saw wood, and a 
- circular-saw attached to machinery, cutting through a log. 

The efforts of our labour are tiresome and trying, but the 
operations of the Spirit are trenchant and triumphant. Our 
= wisdom is therefore to be attached to the Spirit! s might, and 
be detached from our self-reliance. 


ee i The water of the upper and nether springs. When Achsah 
was asked by her father what he should give her she replied, 
a “Give me springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper 
. springs and the nether springs”? (Joshua xv. 19; Judges 
< i. 15). He gave her a double portion. So our Divine Caleb 
gives to His own a double blessing of the Spirit. The 
“nether’”’ blessing of His indwelling presence, and the 
“upper ”’ spring of His enduring power. We need the Spirit 
as the Spirit of Adoption crying in our hearts, “ Abba, 
- Father” ; and we also need the Spirit as the Spirit of Ability — 
. accomplishing in our lives. A servant of Christ gave this 
s personal testimony in Chicago at a Convention held there. 
He said, “‘ Within a week after my conversion, thirty years 
ago, I passed by the window of a picture store in St. Louis, 
and I saw hanging in the window an engraving of a painting 
of Daniel in the den of lions. The prophet with his hands — 
behind him, and the lions circling about him, is looking up 
and answering the king’s question. The one thing that I was 
in mortal fear of in those days was that I might go back to 
my sins. I was a drunken lawyer in St. Louis when I was 
converted, with no power over an appetite for strong drink, 
‘and I was so afraid of a bar-room, or a hotel, or a club that. 
_when I saw I was coming to one I would cross the street. I 
was in torment day and night. No one had told me anything 
_about the keeping power of Jesus Christ. I stood before that 


ORR, ee © righ 
bis iMac, ior 


* See the use of the words rendered ‘“ working ”’ in the Epistle to 
the Ephesians, rendered “working,” ‘‘ worketh,” “ wrought,” and 
erectual ‘working ” {i 11,'19, 20% 9.2 5 ill. 7, 205 IVz- 16); 


™ “ 


218 | EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spmnin. sh 


picture, and a great kane and faith came into my heart, and 
I said :-— 


“““ Why, these lions are all about me,—my old habits and mek 
my old sins, but the God that shut the lions’ mouths for Re 
Daniel can shut them for me !’ oy 


“ T learned that my God was able. He had saved me, and 


He was able to deliver me from the lions. Oh, what a rest it © S 2 
was! It had been proposed to me to go to some railroad 


men over at East St. Louis, but I refused to go, and I did 


not give the reason. The reason was that East St. Louis 


simply bristled with bar-rooms, and I was afraid I should 
- smell that breath of hell coming out of those open places, 

licensed by a paternal government that needs the money so 
badly. After I saw that picture I went.” 


Water in the ditches. ‘‘ Make this valley full of ditches ” 


was God’s command through Elisha to the King of Israel, — 
and ‘' It came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering 


was offered (R.v., ‘ The time of offering the oblation ’), that, 


behold . . . . the country was filled with water” (1. Kings es 
ill. 16-20). These words give us the combination of thehuman =~ 


with the Divine, or the human filling the condition of the 
Divine promise, and the Lord fulfilling His Word as a result. 
We make the ditches and the Lord fills them with water. 
When we have the ditch of whole-hearted faith in God’s 
Word, then we may expect the inflow of the Spirit’s grace, — 
and know, what George Macdonald calls, ‘The Eternal — 


thought speaking in your thought.” When we make the _ : 


ditch of intense brotherly affection for each other, then we 
feel the heart-throb of the love of God. . “ What is the subject 
for the next young people’s meeting ?”’ I asked the Secretary 


on one occasion. She did not speak very distinctly. She : a 


said, ‘‘By love serve one another.” I thought she said, 
‘“ Give candy to each other.” “Why that’s a sweet subject !”"- 
I exclaimed. Love is ever a sweetener and it is certainly 
toothsome to the Lord. When we make the ditch of holy 
prayer and intercession, then there is sure to be the mani- 
festation of Divine power. The pleading of 1 Pray: even 
brings the rane of power. 


& Rees hth ¢. 


THE, WATER). 7 eee AEG 


III. PoINTED PARTICULARS. 


‘The many adjectives found in association with water 
illustrate the characteristics of the Spirit’s nature and service. 


Living water. The adjective ‘‘running’’ in connection 


with water, which is mentioned several times in Leviticus 
xiv., is the same word as rendered “ living’’ in the same | 


chapter, and it is also translated “‘ alive.” Christ promised 
to the woman of Samaria.“ living water’ (John iv. Io). The 
Spirit of Life leads us to the Living Stone to quicken us, to 
the Living God to shield us, to the Living High Priest to keep 
us, to the Living Bread to feed us, to the Living Word to 
assure us, to the Living Way to access us, to the Living 


~ Christ to satisfy us, and to the Living Water that He may 


sway us. Christ said of the Living Water it should be in 
them ‘‘a well of water springing up.’ The word “ springing 
up’’ is the same as rendered “‘leaping’’ and “leafed” in 
speaking of the cripples who were made to walk and leap 
(Acts iii. 8; xiv. 10). How many lame saints there are! 


_ The lameness goes when the Spirit comes. 


Holy Water. The ordinance for testing a suspected 
woman’s faithfulness is described in Numbers v. I1-31. 


- When the woman drank the water and she was innocent it 


caused her no harm, but if she was defiled then she came 
under the curse and judgment of God. The Holy Water is 


frequently called “ bitter water,” which is mixed with the 


dust of the floor. If we are right with the Lord the Holy 
Spirit will be power and comfort, as He was to the early 


Church, who walked in the fear of the Lord; but if we are 


not right with Him then He will be a Spirit of judgment and 
confusion, as He was to Ananias and Sapphira (Acts v. I-Io ; 
ix. 31). A coloured Methodist class leader said in his class 
one day, ‘‘ Brethren, when I was a boy, I took a hatchet and 
went into de woods. When I found a tree dat was straight, 
big and solid, I didn’t touch dat tree ; but when I found one 
leaning a little and hollow inside, I soon had him down. So 
when de debbil go after Christians, he don’t touch dem dat 
stand straight and true; but dem dat lean a little and are 
hollow inside.” ! 


Pee 


220 + -—-«~EMBLEMS OF THE HoLy SPIRIT. 


s, 


Purifying water. At the cleansing of the fev in Sues 


them for the tabernacle service, there was sprinkled upon - “ 


them “‘ water of purifying’’ or ‘‘ water of expiation ” (R.v., 
Numbers viii. 7), this seems a be the same as mentioned in : 
Numbers xix. 9, 17, which is there ae “water of separa: 


”) 


tion : it is a purification for sin,” or a “‘ sin offering” (R.v.) 


The Hebrew word for “ purifying” and “ purification” is 


rendered sin-offering again and again in Leviticus iv. The 


sin-offering in its Godward aspect was to ‘“‘ make an atone- on : - 
ment for sin” (Leviticus iv. 35), but in its manward aspect — ae 


it was to cleanse from sin (Leviticus xvi. 30). The sprinkling — 
of the memorial (ashes) of the sin- -offering with water upon a_ 
person, typified the ground upon which the Levites had the 


qualification to serve the Lord, namely, cleansing- by the= 


atoning sacrifice. The Holy Spirit in speaking of priestly — : 
service weaves into an exhortation the above thoughts when — 


He says, * Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance x 


of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, 
and our bodies washed with pure water ’’ (Hebrews x. ave 
The purity of clean hands, pure hearts, and pure consciences 


- are requisite for true worship and loyal service, and these are - : 
the bestowments of the Spirit. 
IV. PERTINENT PoINnTs. As eee a : 
Many are the things which are produced by water. Its _ 
essentiality is beyond all question. Its predominence is self- 


evident. Water forms more than two-thirds of the earth’s — 


surface, and it has been estimated that if all the water of ere 4 ae 


globe could be collected it would-form a sphere 900 miles in 


diameter. : : | eee - 3 


Water ts essential. Water is an escential constituent of 


all animal and vegetable life. The absence of water means — 


death and desert. There are two things which are arson 
essential in spiritual things. The first is life from the Spirit. — 
Christ said, ‘“ Except a man be born of water and the Spirit — 


he cannot enter the kingdom of God ”’ (John iii. 5). sy 


have tried to make the water to mean baptism, but water and — 
spirit stand for the same ea The sentence comes under | 
the figure of speech called “ hendiadys,” which means one by 4 


THE WATER, 3° = ; 221 


Se ee means of two, that is, . two wor ds are used to express the same 


| thing. We have many illustrations of its use in the Old and 


3 : = N ew Testaments. Take one illustration from each. In 
1, Samuel xvii. 40 we read, David put the five smooth stones 
_ “in a shepherd’s bag, even in a scrip,” literally, it is “ in his 


shepherd’s leather bag.” In Acts iii. 14, “ Ye denied the 
Holy One and the Just.” Two persons are not meant, but 


eS one. The One denied was the righteous Holy One. Thus 


John iii. 5 should read, “ Except a man be begotten of 
spiritual water, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. The 


| Be Spirit is not only essential to implant the spiritual life, but 
He is essential to maintain it. In Galatians v. 25 we read). 


“Tf we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” 
‘Surely if we live in the Spirit we walk in Him! The 


_ Authorized Version is meaningless. The Revised Version is 


better—‘ If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also _ 


ae walk.” The passage might be paraphrased as follows : 
Since by the Spirit we are spiritually alive, by that same 


Spirit we should walk.” In other words the Author of the - 
spiritual life is also its Maintainer. 
Water 1s growth-producing. Bildad asked Job the question, 


“Can the flag grow without water >” (Job viii. rz). We 


might equally ask, “ Can the Christian grow in grace without 
the Spirit ?’’ There is a threefold growth in the Divine life. 
First, the upward growth into Christ (Ephesians iv. 15). This 
is obtained by the prevailing of the Word of God in our lives 
(Acts xix. 20), the feeding upon the Word of God as our food - 
. (t. Peter ii. 2), the displacement of self the domination of 
_ Christ (John iii. 30), and the personal acquaintance with God 
- (Colossians i. 9,10). Second, the downward growth in the truth. 


= - Rootage is essential to foliage. In the soil of God’s truth is 


_ found life to quicken, grace to grow, love to inspire, truth to 
- sanctify, food to nourish, sun to warm, water to revive, and 
joy to gladden. Third, the outward growth in usefulness. To 
abound in the work of the Lord, is to have the work of the 
_ Lord abound in us. It is said that after the toils of the day 


‘Michael Angelo would-be so weary sometimes that he would 
go-to bed dressed, and as soon as he was refreshed would 
i pa". DE at and with candle stuck in cap so that its Pee might 


222 EMBLEMS OF pee Hoy Spirit. 


fall properly on the figure, he would pursue his loved art. 


Living in a state of celibacy, he was accustomed to say his ~ ‘A 
art was his wife and his works his children, and when some — 


persons reproached him for living so melancholy a life, he 
said, “ Art is jealous, she requires the whole and entire man.” 
‘So the work of the Lord requires us all and always. And 


the Lord the Holy Spirit is the Lord of the work and of ee 3 


worker. 


Water 1s lifting. The lifting power of water was seen in 


its lifting the ark upon the mountains of Ararat (Genesis 


vill. 4). On one occasion a vessel was sunk in the Missis- _ 
sippi River, and the problem was how to raise it. Several 
attempts were made, but to no purpose. At last an old man © 


undertook to raise the sunken boat. At low tide the hull 
could be seen. The man made no attempt to raise the vessel 
by attempting to lift it by an outside power, but he got two 


large scows,* and got strong chains and lashed them around | 


the sunken vessel and scows. Then he waited and watched for 
the incoming tide. The tide rose and rose, and soon there 


was tension and strain on the cables, and at last the sunken — 


vessel was lifted and-the scows and it were soon docked. 
What human effort could not accomplish, God’s lifting water 


did. One of the names by which Jehovah is known is “ The 
Lifter” (Psalm iii. 3). There are many things from which | 


the Lord lifts us. He lifts us from the gates of spiritual 
death—“ Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death ” 
(Psalm ix. 13) ; He lifts us from the realm of our enemies— 
“Thou liftest me up from those that rise up against me”’ 
(Psalm xviii. 48 ; xxvii. 6) ; He lifts beyond the reach of self, 


for He answers the cry, “‘ Lead me to the Rock that is higher _ 
(lifted up above, same word as rendered in the passages above, 

‘lifted up’) than I”’ (Psalm lxi. 2); He lifts us above the ~ 
dunghill of the world—‘ He lifteth the needy out of the | 


dunghill”’ (Psalm cxiii. 7); He lifts from the beggary of 


spiritual destitution—“ He lifted up the beggar” (1. Samuel pee 
li. 7, 8); therefore we can say in faith, knowing Him, no — 


* A scow is a boat with a flat bottom and square ends, without 
sails or motive power. 


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aa ge ; THE WATER. 223. 


matter what may arise, ‘‘ He shall lift me up upon a Rock se 
. (Psalm xxvii. 5, R.V.) 


Water is submerging. Jonah in his prayer in the sea- | 


monster said, ‘‘ Thou didst cast me into the depth, in the heart 
of the seas, and the flood was round about me; all Thy 


waves and Thy billows passed over me” (Jonah 1. 3). There: 
is an experience very similar to this which some of God’s — 
servants have to pass through in order to fit them to lift up © 


those who have been called ‘“‘ the submerged tenth.” Every- 


one who has to do with shipping knows how important a_ 
~ pontoon is. A pontoon is a flat barge, which is water-tight. 


Many a time have I watched the filling of the pontoon on the 
River Wear, which may be seen at Sunderland. The pontoon 
is filled with water which makes it sink into the river bed ; 

then the steamer is placed over the sunken pontoon, the 
water is pumped out of the pontoon, and as the air fills it, it 
rises and lifts the steamer, then the steamer’s keel can be 
cleaned and painted. We need to go to where the sinners 
are, in the mud of the river-bed of sin, in order to lift them 
out of it. One of the most touching sights I ever saw, was 
at the close of an evangelistic meeting in Sunderland, when a 


poor woman of the street, besotted with drink and damned by ~ 


sin, and just out of prison, was crying for mercy. Twelve 
sisters got round her and prayed and wept, till, in the sym- 


pathy of their loving hearts, they lifted her into the arms of 


the Saviour. Such contact with sin and dirt was only pos- 


sible through the love of the Holy Spirit. He makes the 


impossible possible. 
Water is cleansing. Cleanliness was an essential thing in 


_ the lives of the children of Israel. Anyone who got defiled by 


coming into contact with death and defilement had to be 
washed, and every wooden vessel had to be ‘rinsed with 
water’ (Leviticus xv. 11, 12). The New Testament words 


for cleansing and cleanliness are “‘ kathar1zo and “‘ katharos.”’ 


They indicate the practicality of the Spirit's work. Ene 


_ purity of the Spirit is an eye-cleanser, for it is ‘‘ the pure in 
heart that see God”. (Matthew v. 8) ; purity is a life-washer, 


for the righteousness of the saints makes their garments 
“clean and white”? (Revelation xix. 8, 14); purity is a 


we, 
g' 


204 -Expieus OF THE “Hory. fe oe ice! 


versiip: qualifier, for we are to have our fel ‘washed — 
with pure water’ as we draw near (Hebrews x. 22); purity — 
is a truth- ee for we are to hold the faith “in a pure 
conscience ’’ (1. Timothy iii. 9); purity is a love- yoker, for 
“ love out of a pure heart” is the essential thing (1. Timothy — 
‘I, 5,R8.V.) ; purity is a service-fitter, for, like Paul, we should 
serve God “in a pure conscience ’’ (11. Timothy i. 3); purity — 
is a prayer-prevailer, for when we “‘ call on the Lord out of a 
pure heart ” we are sure of His promises being fulfilled (11. Tim. 
ii. 22); purity is a holiness-precursor, for we are to “ cleanse 
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh andspirit, and then 
perfect holiness in the fear of .the-Eord “(ir Cor. Vii. ee ‘ 
and purity is a Christ-recognizer, for He died to “ purify unto — 
Himself a people for His own possession ” (Titus ii. 14, R. V.) 


Water is satisfying. ‘As the hart panteth after the 
water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God ”’ (Psalm 
xli. 1). “‘O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: oe 
my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a 
dry and thirsty land, where no water is’”’ (Psalm Ixiii. 1). 
“The river of God is full of water” (Psalm Ixv. 9). The 

names and titles of God are expressive of His nature... Phere : e 
_ are two names of God in the above verse. ‘“‘Elohim’”’ isthe — 
_ mame used in each except in the second instance of the second 
_ verse, where it is “ El.” ‘ Elohim” is-the plural form. Of gs Z 
“ Eloah,” and signifies the Godhead in the trinity of their = 
Divine personality, coupled with the thought of ability, hence 
we read, “ God (Elohim) said, Let us make (plural) man in 
our image” (singular), The plural pronoun and verb are ine 
keeping with the plural noun. When the Psalmist says ‘‘O, _ 
God (Elohim), Thou art my El”’ (singular), he expresses theses 

thought of God in trinity with the thought of Divine per- 
sonality. “El” is singular for God and is generally ae a 
‘with an adjective, hence, “ The Almighty God.” Here again 
is a beautiful combination. God is singular, but Almighty* 
is plural. Only God in all the livingness of His Divine — 


et 


7 


* Shaddai, rendered almighty, means the breasts. Shaddai is — 
derived from Shad, the breast, hence Almighty God means the many- 
breasted God. The One Who is enough, or All- pietieed sere 


N 


THE WATER.) 22 5 


# 2 sufficiency, and the three persons of the Godhead in their 


grace and love, can meet the need of man’s spirit- nature. 
When God made man in the likeness of His own indestructible 
_ image, it stands to reason, as well as revelation, that only God © 
Himself can meet his need and nature. We need the Father 
to love us, the Son to lift us, the Spirit to quicken us. “We 
need the Father’s gift of the Son to die for us, the Son’s work 
to bring us to God, and the Spirit to quicken us. We need 
_ the Father to chasten us, the Son to succour us, and the 

Spirit to help us. We need the Father’s paternity to father 

us, the Son’s propitiation to fit us, and the Spirit’s power to 
furnish us. We need the Father’s promises to cheer us, the 
Son’s peace to calm us, and the Spirit’s presence to control us. 
We need the Father’s grace to save us, the Son’s grace to 
strengthen us, and the Spirit’s grace to sanctify us. We need 
the Father’s grace to beautify us, the Son’s atonement to 
benefit us, and the Spirit’s life to beam through us. We need 
the Father’s illumination to teach us, the Son’s indwelling to 
triumph over and through us, and the Spirit’s inspiration to 
throb through our whole being. Our God alone can satisfy, 
but He is enough. We say with Jean Ingelow— 


“Thou art what I want. | / 
I am athirst for God, the Living God.” 


‘He slakes all thirst and yet He makes us thirst with a thirst 
which He meets with a constant supply by the Spirit. 

Water is reviving. Job says of a tree, ‘“‘ There is hope of 
a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that 
the tender branch will not cease. Though the root thereof 
wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground ; 
yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth 
_ boughs like a plant” (Job xiv. 7-9). How truly these words 

_ have been illustrated in the lives of many who once knew the 
Lord and have almost slipped into the hell of despair and 
eternal death, and yet through the tender mercy of God have — 
had the latent spark of grace revived and become in the 
latter end of their Christian experience witnesses who have 
never waned, but plants of vigour in fruitfulness and faithful- 
ness to God. Even the cause of the failure and backsliding 
P 


226 EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


may become a blessing, as someone has said, “‘ The besetting : < 
sin may become the guardian angel. Let us thank God we 
_can say it! Yes, the sin that has sent me weary-hearted to 

‘bed, and desperate in heart to the morning work, can be 
conquered. I do not say annihilated, but, better than that, 
conquered, captured and transfigured into a friend; so that 
I, at last, shall say, “My temptation has become my strength ; 


for j in the very fight with it I owe my force.’”” ~ 


“‘ Noble souls, through dust and heat, 
Rise from disaster and defeat 
The stronger, 
And, conscious still of the Divine 
Within them, lie on earth supine 
No longer.” 


Water is refreshing. ‘‘He shall come down... . as 


~ 


showers that water the earth” (Psalm Ixxii. 6). A writer a 


tells of a surveying party who were resting at noon in Florida, 
when one of the chainmen exclaimed, ‘I would give fifty 


cents a swallow for all the water I could drink.” Allthe men — a 


were very thirsty, but there was no spring or stream near. 
While the men were thus talking, the surveyor saw a crow 


put his bill into a cluster of broad, long leaves, growing on the — 


side of a tall cypress. The leaves were those of a peculiar 


- air plant. They were green and bulged out at the bottom, 
forming an inverted bell. The smaller end was-held to the 


tree by roots grappling the bark. Feeding on the air and 
water that it catches and holds, the air plant becomes a sort of 


‘cistern. The surveyor sprang to his feet with a laugh. 


“ Boys,”’ he said, ‘‘ the old crow is wiser than anyone of us.” 


“How so ?” they asked. ‘‘ Why he knows there are a ae 


hundred thousand water-tanks in this forest... Where?" 
they demanded in amazement. The surveyor cut an air- _ 
plant in two, and drained nearly a pint of pure cold water 
from it. The men did not want for water after that. Their 
thirst was slaked and they were refreshed. So as we live in 
the Spirit we shall find He will refresh by His grace, renew in. 
His strength, gladden us in His joy, sanctify us in His truth, 
lead us by His direction, revive us in His life, constrain us by 


ao ea Tue WATER, oe 227 


_ His love, and fascinate us with our Lord Jesus ; and we shall 

> say, with Sir E. Denny,— 

i Oh | it is come—the sweet and blessed calm, 
Foreseen and hoped for thro’ those darksome years 
Of anguish and of dread? Here, here at last, : 

a I, a deep vessel in the shoreless sea 

. Of Thy own fulness, O eternal God ! 

Filled in that fulness, find my prayers, my hopes, 
All, all fulfilled, and nothing more to crave. 
The bright reality, the thing itself, 

-  Transcends all thought, eclipses every hope : 
Dwelling in God, by God indwelt, I know 
Love in its fulness; life to me is bliss ; 
All, all within, beneath, around, above, 
Speak but of Thee, and tell me what I am— 
The happiest of the happy! O Thou peerless One ! 
Great God revealed in flesh, the living link 
’Twixt Godhead and my soul! be Thine the praise, 
The loving worship of a loving heart, 
Rich in Thyself; for, oh! however filled, 
Howe’er exalted, holy, undefiled, 
Whatever wealth of blessedness is mine, 
What am I, Lord ? an emptiness, a nothing. 
Thou art my boast, in Whom all fulness dwells 
Of the great Godhead, Thou Whose name I bear, 
Whose life is ae Whose glory and Whose bliss, 
_ All, all are mine.’ 


V. Pee ae PROMISES. 
One of the most profitable seasons at the World’s Mis- 
sionary Conference, held in June, Ig10, was the time for 
devotion in the midst of the morning session. No addresses 
were given. Appropriate Scriptures were given, and in them 
we heard the voice of God speaking in the inner recesses of 
our being, and then they were turned into praise, prayer and 
intercession. So with the promises associated with water in 
God’s Word. Let them speak for themselves, without any 
~ exposition, and let us turn them into prayer, praise and inter- 
cession; and also claim them by faith that the Holy Spirit 
pe ananay ae them moulders of our lives and streams OF blessing 
to others. Ponder the “‘ J wills.” 
-“T the Lord do keep it ; I will water it every moment : lest 
ae -any hurt it, I will keep it night and day ”’ (Isaiah xxvii. 3). 
“A Man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a 


228 hi EMBLEMS OF THE HOoLy SPIRIT. - 


covert from the tempest ; as rivers of water ina dry place,as 


the shadow of a great rock in a weary land” (Isaiah xxxil. 2). 
rivers and streams ”’ (Isaiah xxxiil. 21). 
: “In the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams 1 In” 
the desert ’’ (Isaiah xxxv. 6). 
‘When the poor and needy seek water, and ther is none, 
and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them. 


I the God of Israel will not fore ae them. I will open rivers — ae 


in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I 
will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the Gry. land 
springs of water ’”’ (Isaiah xli. 17, 18). 

‘““T give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, 
to give drink to My people”’ (Isaiah xliii. 20). 


“T will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods . 
upon the dry ground : I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed,and 


a 


My blessing upon thine offspring ’’ (Isaiah xliv. 3). 
“The Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy 


soul in dry places, and make strong thy bones: and thou shalt 
be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose 


waters fail not’ (Isaiah lviii. 11, R.V.) 
“T will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be 
clean: from all your filthiness and idols I will cleanse you. 


A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I pulse 


within you : and I will take away the stony heart out of your 


flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My 
Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and | 
ye shall keep My judgments and do them” (Ezekiel 


XXXVI. 25-27, R.V.) 


‘“ Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give 


him shall never thirst ; but the water that I shall give him ee 
shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting Fs aan 


life’? (John iv. 14). 


“‘ Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him 
come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the © 


Scripture hath said concerning Me, out of Him shall flow 


“The glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad — a 


u 
oe a 


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Se the Sa a See hat IMs eRe ae 
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rivers of Living Water. But this spake He of the Spirit, 
which they that believe on Him should receive: forthe Holy 


Ghost was not yet given: because that Jesus was not yet — | 


glorified ” (John vii. 37-30). 


a 


Syllabus of 
Clothing as an Emblem of the Holy Spirit. 


Figurative use of clothing—I. What God puts upon us— 

This clothing expensive in its cost—A colloquy—A dress 
which cost £100,000—This clothing is protective in its cover- . 
ing—How Adam and Eve were clothed—The Best Robe— — 
The flags around the British subject—This clothing is perfect 
in its texture—Bunyan’s experience—Threefold protection— 
This clothing is imparting in its wear—Hercules—Carlyle on 


_ clothes—II. What the Lord expects us to put on, and what He 


can put on us—Joshua clothed, unclothed, and clothed—The 


.: He Spirit is the Spirit of Equipment—An eightfold putting off 


and putting on—The Spirit is the Spirit of Reminder— 
Amasai’s words to David—Lincoln’s remark—Senses in which 
we are the Lord’s—The Spirit is the Spirit of Faithfulness— 
Zechariah’s faithful testimony—Knox and Queen Mary—The 
Spirit is the Spirit of Victory—Gideon’s experience—The 
Spirit is the Spirit of Enduement—“ Dunamis”’ : its deriva- 
tion, association and meaning—Moody’s peepee 
tion from Fenelon. 


CLOTHING. 


“He hath clothed me ”’ (Isaiah lxi. 10). 
‘Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon ” (Judges vi. 34, margin). 
‘“‘Clothed with power ” (Luke xxiv. 49, R.V.) 


HE verb to “clothe” is used in a figurative sense in 
many different ways. When the flocks cover the 


- pastures they are said to be, “‘ clothed with flocks ” (Psalm. 
_Ixv. 13) ; when the heavens are concealed by clouds they are 


said to be, ‘‘ clothed with blackness ” (Isaiah 1. 3) ; the traits — 


of a person’s individual bearing are compared to Ogee, 


hence, the Lord is declared to be “‘ clothed with majesty ’’ 
and ‘‘ strength” (Psalm xciii. 1; civ. 1); the act of God’s. 


pe. - grace in beautifying us is compared to the act of clothing, © 


229 


S280 ie _ EMBLEMS OF THE Hoy Spier. oe ee 


hence, He said to Israel, oy clothed thee with brdigereds 
ore ” (Ezekiel xvi. 10) ; and to Joshua, the high priest, who — 

was “clothed with filthy garments,”’ Jehovah said, “I will — 
clothe thee with change of raiment ”’ (Zechariah iii. 3-5) ; and — : 
the pa also Says, “ He hath ieee me with the garments _ 


tion ” saint lxi. 10) ; the habits at a person’s life are likened. 
to a garment, hence, Job says, “‘ I put on righteousness, and it se 
clothed me” (Job xxix. 14); and the Psalmist prays that — 
God’s priests may be “clothed with righteousness’ (Psalm _ 
cxxxii. 9) ; and the power of the Holy Spirit, both in the Old 

_ (1. Chronicles xii. 18, margin) and in the New Testament, is 
compared to the equipment of clothing (Luke xxiv. 49, R.v.)*_ : a 
There are two centres around which our study revolves, | 
namely, what God puts upon us, and what we are respon. pie 
sible to put on ourselves. se 


* Two very full Bible Readings may be given both from the Old i 2 
and New Testaments in looking at clothing with a comprehensive — 
view. In the Old Testament the principal Hebrew word for clothing aL 
is rendered “clothed” (Ezekiel vii. 27), “put on’’ (Jonah iii, 5), es 
““weay” (Deuteronomy xxii. 11), “ armed with’? (1. Samuel xvii. 5), 
‘in thety apparel” (Ezra iii. 10), and “‘ ayvayed in” (11. Chronicles 
-v. 12). The word is used in the following senses—(1) What the Lord __ 
puts on others in His grace (Genesis iii, 21; Psalm cxxxii.16; Isaiah 
Ixi. 10; Ezekiel xvi. 10; Zechariah iii. 5); (2) of the body as a pro- — 
tection to the spirit (Job x. 11); (3) of the attributes of God (Psalm 
xcili. 1; civ. 1; Isaiah li. 9); (4) applied to the priestly garments _ 
(Leviticus vi. 10, 11; xvi. 4, 23, 24, 32); (5) used in a moral and _ 
spiritual sense (Isaiah li. 9 ; lii. 1 ; 11. Chronicles vi. 41°; Job. xxvii, 173) ~ 
xxix. 14; xl. 10; Psalm cxxxii.9; Haggai i. 6); (6) connected with _ 
the shame and judgment of the sinner (Psalm cxxxii..18); and (7) of — : “A 
the power of the See (Judges vi. 34; 1. Chronicles xii. 18; 1. Chron. 
XxXiv. 20). es 

The Greek word “ Budi ’ is of equal interest. It is applied—(1) 
To ordinary clothing, and is rendered ‘‘ put on’’ (Matthew vi. 25 ;_ 
xxii, 11 ; xxvii. 31; Mark vi.g; xv. 20), “ arrayed” (Acts xii. 21), and © ee, 
“clothed” (Mark i.6; xv.17; Revelation i. 13; xv. 6; xix. 14); (2) : vee 
to grace’s provision (Luke xv. 22) ; (3) to Christ (Romans xiii. 12, 14; 
Galatians iii. 27) ; (4) to the Christian’s armour (Ephesians vi. 11, 14; _ 
1. Thessalonians v. 8); (5) to the Spirit’s graces (Ephesians iv. 24; 
Colossians iii. 10, 12) ; (6) to the future glory (1. Corinthians xv. 53, Se. a 
11. Corinthians v. 3); and (7) to the Spirit’s might (Luke xxiv. 49). Phe 
‘ Euduo”’ is rendered “clothed,” ‘‘ endued,” “ put on,” “ having on,’ 
“on,” and “ avrayed. 18 ! 


ior CoTHING. Ne Ao er ine ee od 


ot WHat Gop PUTS UPON US. - ae 
‘He hath made us accepted in the Beloved’? (Ephesians 


‘comeliness, righteous in His righteousness, pure in His purity, 
lovely in His loveliness, ey. in His holiness, and ey in 
His grace. 


cost of its procurement. The Robe of Righteousness with 
which God adorns us was woven on Calvary, as one has said, 
— “Tt was woven on Calvary for the race of man out of the 
~ white ways of Divine mercy, and the blood-red woof of the 


~ Redeemer’s sacrifice. It is like Christ’s own garment, ‘ without - 


>») 


- seam, woven from the top throughout. 
The following ancient colloquy of the soul with Christ 
oh touching the Passion gives the inness of the soul’s questioning 
and the directness of the Lord’s answer :— 


_-_ “ Lord, wherefore didst Thou suffer Thyself to be sold ? 
: That I might deliver thee from servitude. 
. Wherefore diddest Thou sweat blood ? 
To wash away the spots of thy sins. 
Why wouldest Thou be bound ? 
To loose the bands of thy sins. 
Why wert Thou denied of Peter ? 
To confess thee before My Father. 
Why wouldest Thou be accused ? 
To absolve thee. - 
Why wouldest Thou be spit upon ? 
To wipe away thy foulness. 
Why wouldest Thou be whipped ? 
That thou mightest be free from stripes. 
Why wouldest Thou be lifted up on the cross ? 
That thou mightest be lifted up to heaven. 
Why were Thine arms stretched out ? 
- To embrace thee, O fainting soul. 
~ Why was Thy side opened ? 5 . 
To receive thee in. 
Why diddest Thou dre amidst two thieves ? 
That thou mightest live in the midst of angels.” 


and we might add—. 
Why wast Thou stripped to Thy shame ? 
That thou mightest be clothed with glory. 2% 


ees i. 6) might be rendered, ‘‘ He hath graced us in the Beloved.” 
a He has made us beautiful in His beauty, comely in His 


fo This clothing is expensive in its cost. Christ’s Hibod ts Lae: 


Be 


0-7 


232 ~ EMBLEMS oF THE HOLy Sprart. 


It is said that when one of the daughters ot Baron 
Rothschild was married, that her wedding dress cost one 


hundred thousand pounds. That was a costly dress, but our 


robe of righteousness cost our Lord a good deal more. Its 
expensiveness must be estimated by the stoop of His incarna- 
tion, by the peerless worth of His unique personality, by 
beauty of His perfect life, by the Deity of His Sonship, by 
the agony and bloody sweat of Gethsemane, by the mockery 
of Gabbatha, by the forsaking of Golgatha, by the sin He was 
_ made and the curse He bore, by the might of His resurrection, 


the triumph of His ascension, and the gift of the Holy 


Spirit. 


This clothing is protective in tts covering. When our first 
parents were made conscious of their shame by their sin, God 
graciously “ 


to be wrapped round. Our first parents were wrapped around 
with that which was obtained by death, for before the skins 
could be got to clothe them there had to be death to procure 
the skins for them. When the prodigal came back from the 
far country to the father’s heart and home, the father said, 
~ Bring forth the best robe and put it on him ” (Luke xv. 22), 
or as the sentence might be, ‘“‘ Bring forth the best robe and 
_ clothe him.” The Greek word rendered “ put on” (‘‘ euduo "y 
is rendered “‘ clothed”’ in Revelation i. 13, and “ arrayed” in 
Acts xii. 21. It is said that on one occasion a British subject 
was in danger of being unjustly incarcerated by a foreign 
power, but that the American and British Representatives 
wrapped around the man the flags of their several countries, and 


then dared the authorities to touch the individual. As the man 


was protected by the named countries, and the other country 
dared not harm him because he was protected by them, so 
clothed in the garment of Divine righteousness, even in Christ 
Himself, who can condemn us ? Who indeed, since God has. 
justified us. Justice cannot, for it is satisfied. Law cannot, 


for it is magnified. Satan cannot, for he is defeated. Since 


Christ is put to our account, we are made to count in Him. | 


This clothing is perfect in its texture. There is a threefold 


made them coats of skins and clothed them” 
(Genesis iii. 21). The word “‘ clothed” means to be arrayed, 


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CLOTHING. | 236 


perfection in Christ as the Righteous One, namely, His 
_ righteous obedience in His life, His righteous sacrifice in His 


death, and His righteous person in His glory. Manisa sinner 
in many senses, but he is specially a sinner in three senses, — 


in his life he missed the mark of perfect obedience to Cad 
he cannot answer for his sin for he is helpless; and he is 


polluted in himself. Provisionally Christ meets. man’s 
liability and guilt by His death, for at the Cross where sin 
abounded as to its climax and culmination, grace did much 
more abound (Romans v. 20). Practically, Christ in His life 


_ of perfect obedience did what we could not do— As by one 


man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the 
obedience of one shall many be made righteous”? (Romans 
v.19). Positionally those who believe in Christ are made the 


righteousness of God in Him (1. Corinthians v. 21). Some 


tell us we are justified by the righteous life Christ lived, others 


that we are justified in His atoning death, while others again - 
_ Say we are justified in the Risen Christ. Why divide Christ ? 


The trinity of His life, death, and glorified Person go to make 
up what He is, and all are put to our account. As our Head 
He died for us (that’s where we begin), He lived for us and He 


is for us. Thus we are wrapped in the perfection of His 


atoning death, His glorious obedience and His holy personality. 


The whole subject is happily put by Bunyan. He says: ‘“ One © 


day as I was passing in the field, and that too with some 


: _ dashes in my conscience, fearing lest yet all was not right, 


suddenly this sentence fell upon my soul, ‘ Thy righteousness 


isin heaven!’ And methought, withal, I saw with the eyes 
of my soul Jesus Christ at God’s right hand. There, I saw, 
- was my righteousness, so that wherever I was or whatever I 


was doing God could not say of me that He wanted my 
righteousness, for there it was just before Him. I saw also 
that it was not my good frame of heart that made my right- 
eousness better, nor my bad frame that made my righteousness 
worse. For my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself, the 


game yesterday, to-day and for ever. ’Twas glorious to me to 


see His exaltation, and the worth and prevalency of His 
benefits. And that because I could now look from myself to 


_ Him, and should reckon that all those graces of God that 


234 _ EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. — 
were now green on me were yet but like those crack-groats oes . 
and fourpence-halfpennies that rich men carry in their purses = 
- when their gold is in their trunks at home! O, I saw that “ae cn 
my gold was all in my trunk at home! Even in Christ my ae 
Lord and my Saviour! Now Christ was my all! He was : 
made of God to me all my wisdom, and all my righteousness, a 
and all my sanctification, and all my redemption !”’ © 


This clothing 1s imparting in its wear. When Hercules put oe 
on the fabled garment, it poisoned his blood and killed him. 
There was death in the garment, and it therefore communi- 
cated death to its wearer. As the fabled garment communi- — Ss é; 
cated what was in it, so when we put on Christ as the 
Righteousness of God He imparts His nature to us. Carlyle 
in a sarcastic mood once said of clothes, “‘ Clothes give us | 
individuality, distinctions, social polity ; clothes have made — 
men of us ; they are threatening to make screens of us. Has 
not yon red-hanging individual a horsehair wig, squirrel _ 


skins, and a plush gown, whereby all mortals know he is a a 

_ judge. Society, which the more I think of it astonishes me _ ee 
the more, is founded on cloth.” Mark the words, “Clothes — .. 
have made men of us.’’ Yes, but not those which have been | A 

- made in the looms of earth, but those which have been made er 
in the looms of Bethlehem, Galilee, Calvary, and Olivet. 
As the glorified Christ made His garments white and a5 
glistening, so when He is on us and in us, He shows Himself © a 


through us. 


iene: 


“IT want that adorning Divine, hea ae me 
Thou only, my God, can bestow ; ae 

I want in those beautiful garments to shine 

_ Which distinguish Thy household below.” 


The Spirit of God is the One Who makes all the above — 
real to us. It is His business to unfold Christ to us in the — | 
Word, to reveal Christ for us in His death, to strengthen the oe 1S 
inner man to make Christ real in us, and to empower us with be ) 
Himself that He may qualify us for His work and be the a aKy > : 
Qualifier in all things. 3 


_ CLOTHING. 


HE CAN PUT ON US. 


One of the most striking pictures of the aotion of Grace* 
is found in Zechariah iii. The nation is represented in Joshua 
the high priest, who is clothed with filthy garments, after it 


ig said to be a brand plucked from the fire, and then the — 


iniquity is made to pass away and Joshua is clothed with a 
change of raiment, and then a complete change of raiment is 
— given to him, and he is charged to keep the charge committed 
to him. Then there is this statement, ‘‘ Behold, the stone 
_ that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be 
seven eyes” (Zechariah iii. 9). The stone evidently stands for 
- the temple of God and the ‘‘ seven eyes’’ we are distinctly 
told represent ‘‘ the seven spirits of God,” or the Holy Spirit 
- .in the perfection of His grace and government (Revelation 
-y. 6). As in all God’s ways the Spirit is the Worker accom- 
plishing His purpose. Let us look at several other Scriptures 
where we find the Holy Spirit identified with clothing. | 
The Spivit is the Spirit of Equipment to enable us to “ put 
off” and ‘‘ put on”’ what the Lord enjowns. There are quite a 
number of things we are exhorted to “‘ put off’ and “ put on.”’ 
In the former we have the negative aspect of holiness and in 
the latter the positive aspect. There are twoft words embody- 
ing the thought of clothing, only the one means casting off 


* A Bible study can be given on the seven acts of grace. (1) The 
rebuke of grace—‘‘ The Lord rebuke thee.’”’ (2) The choice of grace— 
ak. “The Lord hath chosen.’”’ (3) The act of grace—‘‘ A brand plucked 
from the burning.” (4) The direction of grace—‘‘ Take away the 
filthy garments.” (5). The assurance of grace—‘‘ I have caused thine 
iniquity to pass from thee.” (6) The adornment of grace—" I will 

_ clothe thee with change of raiment.’ (7) The crown of grace—‘“‘ Set 
a fair mitre on his head.”’ 


Ft Apotithemi”’ isa compound word, made of “‘ apo,” which means 
off or away, and “ tthemz,’”’ which means down, so that the compound 
word signifies to take off a garment and then to cast it on one side. 


_ their clothes and cast them on one side before they stoned Stephen 


(Acts vii. 58, 59). The other word for putting on, ‘‘ Euduo,” is also a_ 


compound one. “ En” meaning in, and ‘‘duo’’ down, hence its 
Meaning is to sink into a garment, that is, to be invested with it. 


TI, Wat THE LorD EXPECTS US TO PUT ON, AND WHAT | 


‘The word is rendered ‘‘ laid down” in speaking of the men who took off ; 


; 236 


as a garment, and the other the being clothed or invested 
Let us notice an eightfold parallelism. 


upon with power. 


ee eUT ORY 
‘Cast off (apotithemi) the 
works of darkness’’ (Romans 
xii. 12). Darkness stands for 


ignorance, unbelief and sin. 

“Put away (apotithemi), as 
concerning your former manner 
of life, the old man ”’ (Ephesians 
iv. 25, R.V.) The old man is the 
man of the former manner of life. 

“Putting away (apotithemi) 
falsehood ’”’ (Ephesians iv. 25). 
The glib tongue of untruthful- 
ness is to cast away. 

“‘ Put off (apotithemi) all these 
anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, 
filthy communication out of your 
mouth ”’ (Colossians iii. 8). These 
garments are filthy indeed, and 
belong to that old rag merchant, 
the devil. 

“Put off’? (apotithemi) the 

-old man with his deeds” (Col. 
iii. 9). Deeds and ‘doer have 


been dealt with at the cross. 


Faith leaves both there. 

““ Lay aside (apotithemi) every 
weight and the sin”’ (Hebrews 
xii. 1). The sin is the sin in good 
standing, namely, unbelief; and 
the weights are doubtful things. 


“Lay apart (apotithemi) all 
filthiness and superfluity§ of 
naughtiness ”’ (James i. 21). Un- 
cleanness and wickedness are 
corroding and contagious. 


‘“ Putting away (apotithemi) 
wickedness, and all guile, and 
hypocrisies, and envies, and all 
evil speakings”’ (1. Pet. ii. 1,, 
R.V.) These are all the spawn 
of hell, and progenitors of evil. 


EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Spirit. 


‘“« Put -On,”’ 


“Put on (euduo) the armour ie 


of light” 
Light represents 
faith, and holiness. 

“Put on (euduo) the new 
man,’’ who expresses himself in 
righteousness and holiness (Eph. 
iv. 24). 


(Romans xiii. 12). 


‘“* Having on (euduo) the breast- 
plate of righteousness’’ (Eph. 
vi. 14). Right action is ever a 
protection. 


““ Put on (euduo) ... bowels of 


knowledge, | iy ‘ 


mercies, kindness, humbleness of ~ ae ve 


mind, meekness, longsuffering ”’ - 
These gar-— 


(Colossians ili, 12). 


ments are pure and beautiful, 


shining with the lustre of grace. 


“Put on (euduo) the new 
man’? (Col. iii, 10). Spiritual 
likeness to the Divine Spirit is 


proof of His unique work. <4 s 


“i 


_“ Putting on (euduo) the breast- — 


plate of faith and love ”’ (1. Thess. 
ViEB)e 
counteract unbelief, 


and love 


Faith in the Lord will 


to the Lord will make us gladly _ ae 


abandon doubtful things. 

‘‘ Clothed (euduo) in fine linen, 
white and pure.’’ We are told 
what this represents—‘“ The fine 
linen is the righteous acts of the 
saints ’’ (Revelation xix. 8, 14, 
R.V.) 

“Put on (euduo) the Lord 


Jesus Christ ” (Romans xiii. 14). a 


“Put on (euduo) the whole 


armour of God” (Eph. vi. 11). a 


Christ answers to every part of 
the armour. : : 


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CLOTHING. 12373 


The clue to being able to put off the above evil, and to 
put on the opposite good is found in what precedes the 
exhortation to put on the armour of God, namely, “ Be strong 
in the Lord and in the power of His might” Eph vi. 10). 
The expression, ‘‘ the power of His might,” only occurs in- 
one other place, and that is in Ephesians i. 1g, margin. The 
power of God’s might was manifested in the resurrection of - 
Christ, and that power was the operation of the Spirit (Rom. 
_ viii. rz). It is only as we are energized in His energy that 
we can effectually obey His Word, and He alone can do it. 
The Spirit is the Spirit of Reminder to remind us to Whom 
uN we belong. We read of one of David’s mighty men, when he 
came to David, ‘“‘ Then the Spirit clothed (margin) Amasai, 
who was chief of the pepe, and he said, Thine are we, 
_. David, and on thy side”’ (1. Chronicles xii. 18). The same 
te : Pole will be recognized if we are Spirit-dominated. We 
shall recognize the proprietary rights of the Lord to us and 
over us, and we shall say to Him, ‘“‘ Thine are we, Lord Jesus, 
and on ae side.’ During the American Civil War, someone 
expressed to Lincoln the hope that the Lord was on their side. 
The reply of Lincoln was apt, he said, “ I am not concerned 
about the Lord being on our side, but as to our poe} on the 
side of the Lord.’”’ ‘‘ He always wins,” as Faber says, ‘* who 
sides with God.” 
In many ways we are the Lord’s. We are His by purpose, 
- for in His love-heart He has called us to Himself and made 
us His own (Ephesians i. 4, 5) ; we are His by purchase, for in 
His life-blood He has redeemed us to Himself (1. Peter i. 18, 19) 5 
we are His by presence, for in His Spirit-habitation He rakes 
us His temple (1. Corinthians iii. 16) ; we are His by life, for 
in His life-implanted grace we are made partakers of His 
nature (u. Peter i. 3, R.V., margin) - we are His by preserva- 
tion, for in His power-keeping we are kept for Himself (1. Pet. 
i. 5); we are His by promise, for by the assuring-word He- 
_ tells we are His own possession (Titus il. 14, R.V.) ; and we 
_ are His by self-surrender, for by consecration we have com- 
- - mitted ourselves to Him (1. Timothy i. 12). 
The Spirit is the Spirit of Farthfulness to embolden us to 
bear a faithful testimony. “The Spirit of God came upon 


ae a58ats-, EMBLEMS OF THE fee Spreir. | 


: (‘ clothed,’ margin) Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the eee e a 
which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus _ 
saith God, why transgress - the commandments of the — : 


Lord, that ye cannot prosper ? because ye have forsaken the — % 


Lord, He hath also forsaken you (mu. Chronicles xxiv. 20) 5 oe 
The consequence of Zechariah’s faithful word was, they — 
stoned him to death. He was not the first, nor the last, who 
met a premature death because of the message of God de- 
livered. Consequences do not enter into the concern of the 


man of God, the one thing about which he is concerned is, 
fidelity to his Lord. The Spirit-filled man fears not the face 


and fear of man. He will tell the truth like John Knox did a : 
to. Queen Mary, and not be moved by threats or tears,and 


will say as he did to her, ‘‘ Madam, in God’s presence I speak: | ? 


I never delighted in the weeping of God’s creatures, but 4 


seeing I have but spoken the truth as my vocation craves of 


me, I must sustain your Majesty’s tears rather than hurt my _ 
conscience.” The Spirit-filled servant of God will, like Moses 


before Pharaoh, deliver God’s message; like Nathan did 3 | 


David, tell the sinner of his sin; like Elijah did Ahab, rebuke 
_ the rebel for his iniquity ; like Daniel did Belshazzar, point — 
out where the life is wanting; like Jeremiah told Zedekiah 


of the judgment that was coming; like John the Baptist 


rebuked Herod, although he lost his head for doing it ; and 


like Paul, when he charged Agrippa with his sin, as he 


reasoned before him of Sy aieite is and a judgment to 


come. 


of the Lord clothed himself with Gideon ”’ (Judges vi. 34, R.V., 


The Spirit ts the Spirit of Victory in conflict. ‘‘ The Spirit ae 


margin). Thus Gideon was nothing but clothes. He me an 
him to clothe himself. Gideon’s experience up to the time of : ee 


his enduement was very like that of many of God’s people _ 
to-day. He was full of complaints and of the vocabulary Of ae 
unbelief (see the “oh!” “if,” “why,” “where,” of Judges 


vi. 13). The Lord instead of arguing the situation with him 


said, “ si in this thy might.” What was that might ? “ The ar 
Lord ”’ “the mighty man of valour’”’ (Septuagint Version . 


of Fuses vi. 12). That might be had when the Spirit came 


upon him, and the consequence was he had the victory over | 


Di fe Fone REL 


Aye Le ea POTRt PRES, de 


Joie Midianites. When we too are seers in the Lord and i in 
the power of His might, we shall have the victory over our 


“overcome. The displacement of sin and the effacement. of 


: _ He can bring down any foe, and in touch with that Dynamo 
He can move us to any service. 


re Shey pice. Christ’s promise to His disciples was, ‘‘ Tarry until 
ye be endued with power con on high” (Luke xxiv. 49) ; 
and ‘‘ Ye shall receive power’ eB cts i. 8). The word for 
__ “ power” in both these sentences is “dunamis.” The deriva- 
tion and association of this Greek word is of interest and 
importance. ‘‘ Dunamis’’ is derived from ‘‘ dunamat.” 
 “ Dunamia”’ signifies ability, the power to accomplish any- 
- thing, hence is frequently translated ‘is able’”’ (Matthew 
= iii.g ; Acts xx. 32 ; Hebrews ii,18);* and: “can do? (ul. Cor. 
xiii. 8). Another word, which is derived from ‘‘ dunamis,’’ 1s 
“dunamoo.” “ Dunamoo’’ means to be made strong, and 
ig rendered “ strengthened’? in Colossians i. 11. When 
— ‘ dunamoo en” e 


? 


has the prefix “en” it means to be “7- 
Sipawerel or as we should say, ‘‘ empowered.” This compound 
; x word occurs eight times in the New Testament, and is sugges- 


life. The word is rendered “‘ increased in strength”’ in Acts 
ix. 22, in referring to Paul’s power in testimony; “ was 
strong” in Romans iv. 20, in stating the character of 
_ Abraham’ s faith; ‘‘ be strong’ in Ephesians vi. 10, in calling 
attention to the necessary power required to put on the whole 
armour of God ; “ which strengthened” in Pe iv ts 
vets Paul bears rote to the oe e—‘‘in Christ ’— 

_ which enabled him to do “all things”; “‘ who hath enabled” 
eee & ey, i. 12, where he oe a like testimony to 
ec . Timothy ; - “ strengthened” in 11. Timothy iv. 17, where again 
he sounds the same triumphant note ; “ be strong ”’ in 1. Tim. 


if ”? 


% 


ty ne 1, where Timothy is exhorted “ be strong 
. which | is in Christ Jesus; and “ made strong” in Hebrews 


st 
om 


CLorHine. Sec 239 


4 enemies. The Lord has made no provision for His people. to. 
. oe defeated, but He has made ample provision for them to- 


ae are essentials’ to the enthronement of Christ and the 
Batic of the Spirit. But with the dynamite of the Spirit — 


The Spirit is the Spirit of Enduement. to wale us for 


_ tive of a consecutive line of empowerment in the spiritual. 


in the grace 


R 
4 


240 EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Ses 


xi. 34, in calling ison to those yh were enabled to ) go a 


through persecution, trial and even death. 


Remembering that “‘ dunamis”’ is derived from ‘‘ duna- 
mat,’ which latter word means the possibility to do a thing ; 
and that ‘‘ dwnamis’’ means inherent ability as the latent 
power is resident in the dynamite, and that is the power with 


which we are to be empowered ; and calling to mind that 


“euduo’’ (endued, or clothed) means to sink into, as when 


a man gets into his clothes ; we can see at once we are to be _ 


clad with the Spirit, that He may effectually operate through 


us. Some few years ago it was my privilege to meet at~ 


- Beulah Park, on Lake Erie, near Cleveland, Ohio, one of the 
saintly women who prayed for Moody that he might be filled 
with the Spirit and thus empowered for service. Moody 
refers to his experience—‘‘ When I was preaching in Farwell 
Hall, I never worked harder to prepare my sermons than I 


did then. I preached and preached, but it was beating the 


air. A good woman used to say, ‘Mr. Moody, you don’t seem 
to have power in your preaching.’ I requested this woman 
and a few other friends to come and pray with me every 
Friday, at 4 o’clock. Oh! how piteously I prayed that God 
would fill the empty vessel. After the Chicago fire I was in 
_ New York, and going into a bank in Wall Street, it seemed as 
if I felt a strange and mighty power coming over me. I went 
to the hotel, and there in my room I wept before God and 
cried, ‘Oh, my God, stay Thy hand!’ He gave me such a 
fulness that it seemed more than I could contain. May God 
forgive me if I should seem to speak in a boastful way, but I 


do not know that I have preached a sermon since but God has. 


given me some soul. I seem a wonder to you, but I am a 
greater wonder to myself. The sermons I preach to you are 
the same I preached in Chicago. They are not new sermons, 


it is not a new gospel, but the old gospel with the power of the — 


Holy Ghost.” 


The condition for this is well expressed by Fenelon. He 
says: “‘ Warmth of imagination, ardour of feeling, acuteness 
of reasoning, and fluency of expression can do but little. The 


true agent is a perfect abandonment before God, in which we. 


Aa Ae 
ght ees 
We Ra 

we aN 


Bee 


Syllabus of — | | 
The Earnest as an Emblem of the Holy Spirit. 
The Spirit’s Assurance—The Spirit-in Ephesians—I. Who 3 
is the Giver of The Earnest ?—Four great givings—“ Back of 


the loaf”—II. Who is the Purchaser of the inheritance ?—~ 
Seven things declared by Christ’s resurrection—III. Who 1s 


The Earnest ?—Recognize, not realize—What the man found | a 


in the farm—IV. Where 1s The Earnest ?—Persons, place and 
position—V. Of what is the Spirit The Earnest ?—The Spirit 
is the Earnest of our inheritance—Points to ponder —Earnest 
that God’s purpose will be fulfilled—‘‘ Death cannot sever — 
the ties that bind ’’—Earnest of our identity of place with 
Christ—First-fruits—‘‘ My soul lies in a coffin’’—“ With 
Him ’’—Earnest we shall be like Christ—‘‘ Conformed ones 
of the Image’”—Earnest of an eternity of bliss—Seven - 
Eternal things—Unending and unalloyed things—Earnest of 
_ immortality of being—Incorruption displaces corruption— 
Glory displaces dishonour—Power displaces weakness— 
Spiritual displaces natural—Heavenly displaces earthly— 
Immortality displaces mortality—Something displaces flesh 
and blood—Earnest of coming glory—Dyer on glory—VI. 
What is implied by the Earnest ?—Use and derivation of the 
word earnest—Pledge—Evidence of a contract between two_ 
parties—Part of the thing promised—‘ We know in part.” 


THE EARNEST. 


HE Spirit, as the Earnest, assures believers in Christ of 
what is theirs in Him and the glory that awaits them. _ 

‘All things are ours,’ not as to actual or full enjoyment, 
but as to possession or security ; just as a child who is heir 
to property left to him, and is allowed a certain part of it 
until he becomes of age, when he may enter into and enjoy 
the whole, is assured the property is none the less his, 


although he has not come into full possession. 
242 


THE EARNEST. 3 243 
_ The Epistle to the Ephesians is one of the most precious 
___ portions of God’s Word, and one of the veins of truth we find 
running through the epistle is the way the Holy Spirit is 
mentioned. He reveals the purpose of God in Christ (i. IQ ae 
ili. 5-7) ; He quickens dead sinners, and makes them believers 
in Christ, and unites them to Christ (ii. 5, 6) ; He is the power 
F of access into the Father’s presence (ii. 18) ; He is God in us © 
(ii, 22); He reveals the mystery that was hid to the Old — 
_ Testament saints (iii. 5), namely, “ Christ and the Church ” 
__(v. 32); He is the power to strengthen us, that Christ may 

__ dwell in our hearts, and that we may be able to comprehend 
with all saints Christ and His love (iii. 16-18) ; He is the 
power and the source of fruit-bearing (v. 9); He is the 
-_ author of true prayer (vi. 18) ; He makes the Word of God 

ork “ effectual against our enemies (vi. 17) ; He also reminds us of 
our responsibility to Him, that we do not grieve Him by 
looseness in walk (iv. 30), but see to it that we are filled 
with Himself (v. 18), and as the Holy Spirit of Promise He is 
the Earnest, or Pledge, of the inheritance and glory that 
_awaits every believer. There are six questions which we 
shall ponder. Who is the Giver of the Earnest ? Who is the 
_ Purchaser of the inheritance ? Who is the Earnest ? Where 
_ is the Earnest ? Of what is the Spirit the Earnest ? What 
is implied by an Earnest ? 12 : 


: _~ .. Wao Is THE GIVER OF THE EARNEST ? 


gob atl, in speaking of what God would do at the coming of. 
Christ—namely, clothe the believer with the resurrection 
body—says, “ He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing 
is God, Who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit ”’ 
(1. Corinthians v. 5). There are four great givings men- 
tioned in the New Testament. God gave His Son, in love, to 
make provision for the world’s salvation (John iii. 16); the 
_ Father has given believers to Christ, as the reward of His — 
- soul-travail (John x. 29 ; xvii. 6) ; the Spirit gives His several 

gifts to the members of the Body of Christ, ‘‘ severally as He 
will” (1. Corinthians xii. 11) ; and there is the gift of the Holy © 
Ss Spirit, which is the joint-bestowment of Father and Son (John 
Bee xiv. 10, 26° Acts 11.33). < Phe Father 1s especially the Giver 


A © 


ce — _ EMBiems OF THE. Hory Son. 


- of the Seirit: as ‘Christ Piet says, “Whom the Father: will . 
send in My name,” and “ Whom I will send unto you from — 
the Father”. Its the Father’s love- gift to the children. 
_To trace our blessings up to the heart of God is to find what 

is in His heart for us. Let us ever remember— eee 


‘“ Back of the loaf is the snowy flour, 
And back of the flour the mill, 
And back of the mill is the wheat and the shower 
And the sun and the Father’s will.” — 


II. WHo Is THE PURCHASER OF THE INHERITANCE?” 
The Purchaser is Christ, the Son of the Living God; and 
the purchase price was His priceless blood. As the kinsman _ 
under the law had the right, so as Son of Man He had the © 
title to purchase the inheritance we had by: sin lost pte: p 
xxv. 25; Psalm lxix. 4); and as the Son of God He had the is 
ability. The ground of the gift of the Spirit is the TesuITec- — 
tion of Christ. If Christ is not risen we are yet in our sins, 
still under condemnation, still exposed to the righteous judge 
ment of God against sin, and the Spirit having quickened us ~ 
and indwelling us is a myth; but, blessed be God, we know 
different. The death of Christ tells us of the love of God, — 
and the resurrection of Christ tells of the power of God, and of | 
the following seven facts :—That God is satisfied and plonned 
(Romans viil. 33, 34) ; that our sins are gone (I. Corinthians — 
Xv. 17-20) ; that we are accepted in Christ. (Ephesians i EO): 
that we are united to Christ (Colossians ii. 12; iii. 1); that — 
every foe is vanquished (Colossians il. 15) ; thal we shall for 
ever live with Him (John xiv. 19) ; and that the Spirit is . 
given to the Church (John vii. 39). And a good deal more; — 
but let us ever remember that the ground of everything that’ ae 
we, as believers in Christ, enjoy, is the death and resurrection: 
of Christ. . 


_JII. Wuo Is THE EARNEST ? 


The Holy Spirit. We do not wish for a moment to sit in eS 
judgment upon others, but we beg to differ from those who - 
say that the graces or the gifts of the Spirit are the earnest. 3 
We say no, but the Spirit Himself ; not our feelings, not our 
experiences, but the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in 5 


ja 


bee oe © Tab BAgnmets 0 3 ean 


mA What we have to do is to recognize and remember that 
He is in us, and not try to realize His presence. ‘Takevane= © 
illustration : : Two gentlemen are walking along a street, 
ai deeply engrossed in each other’s company and convereanaas 
< A friend of these two gentlemen passes by; one of them y 
oe recognizes him—he realizes the power of his presence; the 
- other one did not Roars the friend passing by. The one . 
- who did says to his friend, ‘‘ Did you see So-and-so >” ‘‘ No,” 
said the other, “ I did not.’”’ If he had he would have realized | 
_ the power of his presence as well as the other. So we need 
not to try to feel that we have the Spirit in us, but to open 
2, 0ur hearts and receive Him, and then to recognize His 
S presence ; and we shall realize the power of His presence as 
_He brings to our remembrance the precious promises of God, 
_ which are ours in Christ, and thus we shall be cheered thereby. 
. - How many believers there are who do not recognize in >, 
- the Word what God says is theirs in Christ, hence, they fail 
= to realize what they have in Him. It is said that five menin - 
- succession owned a farm in the United States of America. 
_ Each of them in turn had to mortgage the farm, and all of Lee 
_ them failed to make it pay. When the sixth man got pos- \ 
session he was not content to farm the farm, he began to 
| - bore into the ground and ultimately found a seam of coal; soe 
2 ihe he dug-deeper and found natural gas; thenhedugagain 
-and found oil. And in a very short time he was worth Se 
$600, 000. These were all on the farm for the others, but 
they did not know it. The last man searched into his in- \. 
__ heritance and was enriched thereby. So believers, if they will | bee 
*---bore into the Word of God the Spirit will tell them what is 4 re 
i a8 now, and what will be theirs in the future. Vers 


a Ve, WHERE IS THE EARNEST ? 


= Anvour hearts.” {t. Corinthians i. 22). There are threé=.3e5- 
_ things suggested by these three words, ‘in our hearts.” 1. _ 
y The persons who have the Earnest—‘‘in our hearts.” We 
ever need to remember that these epistles were written to 
believers. The Holy Spirit is not an earnest of the salvation 
2 of the soul; we do not need an earnést of that, for we have 
« got Him Who is ‘the Salvation now (Isaiah xii. 3). But He 


f 


and joint heirs with Christ.’’ 2. The place where the Earnest 
is—*‘ in our hearts.” Not in our head, but in our heart, as 
if to remind us that our whole affection should be taken up 
with the glory of Christ which we are to share, and the in- 


direct ; in us as Oil to make us shine ; in us as a Fire to purge ; 


coming glory. 


He 


246 ee EMBLEMS OF THE Hoy SPIRIT. 
is the Earnest of our inheritance, namely, those who have | 
been quickened by the Spirit are born again, and thus made 
“children of God, and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, 


heritance which He is. 3. The position of the Earnest—“ in 


our hearts.” Inusasa Light to illuminate; inusasaFriend 


to counsel ; in us as Water to refresh ; in us as a Comforter 
to cheer; in us as a Teacher to teach ;- in us as a Guide to”. 


in us as a Dove to sympathize ; in us as the Seal to secure ; in 
us as the Witness to confirm ; in us as the Strength to keep ; 
in us as the Power to pray; in us as the Source of fruit- 
bearing ; in us as Sap to make us grow ; in us as the Remem- 
brancer to remind us that all the precious promises of God _ 
are yea and amen in Christ ; and in us as the Earnest of the 


V. OF WHAT IS THE SPIRIT THE EARNEST ? ay 
As the grapes, pomegranates and figs, which the spies 


brought from the land of Canaan, were the earnest of the _ 2 


fruit to be found in that land (Numbers xiii. 23) ; and as the 
jewels which Eleazer gave Rebekah were an earnest of the 


riches of Isaac (Genesis xxiv. 53); so the Spirit is God’s ” 
_assurance of many blessings in the future. . cs 


The Spirit ts the Earnest of our* inheritance. We can only . 
indicate the largeness of the many-sidedness of the inheritance. _ 
God Himself is the Substance of the inheritance, for we are 
“heirs of God.” To possess all He is, all He has, is to be 
rich indeed. Christ is the joint-heir of the inheritance, for we 
are “‘ joint-heirs with Christ ’’ (Romans viii. 17). The sons_ 5 
share with the Son and as the Son. The new birth is the basis 


* God has an inheritance in His saints as well as the saints having 
an inheritance in Him. ‘The riches of the glory of His inheritance _ 
in His saints’? is a remarkable statement in Ephesians i. 18. Eph. 
i, 11 gives the same thought, for the better reading is, not “ we have 
obtained an inheritance,’’ but “‘ we have been taken as an inheritance.” 


PCN *<. THECHARNEST. ©. - | 247 


of the inheritance, for to this we are ‘‘ begotten” (1. Peter 
i, 3). Being in the family, we have family rights as God's 
children—‘‘ if children then heirs.”” The Kingdom is the 
reward of those who are rich in faith and who love Him g as. 
‘ii. 5). Eternal life is His gift, but place in His Kingdom is 
only given to the faithful. Salvation in its fullest sense is 
the end of the inheritance, for we are said to be “ heirs of 
salvation”? (Hebrews i. 14). Salvation in its end is not 
salvation from what we deserve as sinners (this is past—‘‘ we 
have been saved’), but salvation to what He has promised 
in the full fruition of His purpose. The character of the 
inheritance is incorruptible in its substance, undefiled in its 
nature, unfading in its duration, and untouchable in its 
reservation (1. Peter i. 4). The overcomer has a peculiar 
- inheritance, for he is promised that he shall “inherit all 

things” (Rev. xxi. 7). The Spirit Himself is God’s Pledge 
that all this shall surely come to pass (11. Corinthians 1. 22 ; 
v. 5; Ephesians i. 14). 7 


‘The Spirit is the Earnest that God’s purpose in grace will be 
carried through. ‘‘ Whom He did predestinate, them He also 
called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and 
whom He justified, them He also glorified ” (Romans viii. 30). 
“He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it 
unto the day of Jesus Christ”? (Philippians i. 6). “ Those 
- whom Thou hast given Me... I will that they also... be 
with Me where I am” (John xvii. 11, 24). In each of these 
passages of Scripture there is a continuity of thought and 
purpose. We need not be disturbed or distressed by the © 
reference to God’s foreknowledge, for all it means is, as He 
seems to say, ‘‘ Thou dost adhere by faith to Him Whom I 
gave thee as thy Saviour ; He will, therefore, belong to thee 
wholly, and I shall not ice thes till I have rendered thee 

perfectly like Him.” 


= 


We cannot explain the subtle difference between God’s 
selection of the believer and the believer’s surrender to God, 
the preservation of the saints and their perseverance. All we 
know is, they go together. The saints make their election — 
} sure by adding to their faith the graces of the Spirit, and the 


ZAG ke EMBLEMS OF THE ‘Hoty § Serer 


Lord fakes their election secure by His keeping power, ae ee: 
no power can sever the saved from the Saviour. x <a 
“Death cannot sever | = | a 
The ties that bind our souls through mortal years— ae 
They last for ever.” “ ae 
The law of continuity is, nothing passes from one state to 
another without passing through all the intermediate stages. ; 
The state of glory will only be entered by those who are : — a 
justified, the justified are the called ones, and the called ones 
are the predestinated ones. With God’s secret purpose we _ 
have nothing to do. Have we responded to God’s call? If 
$0, are we justified by His. grace ; and we are assured the 
justified will be glorified. The seed of a plant will furnish us hee 
_ with an illustration. The seed has in it all the plant will be. ee. i a 
- The seed of God’s purpose has in it the stem of His call, the _ a : 
foliage of His justification, and the fruit of His glory. oe 
The Spirit 1s the Earnest of our identity of place with Christ — oe 
in the glory. Among the similes which are used to illustrate pee 
-Christ’s worth and work is that of the firstfruits. “Christ, 
the firstfruits,” so says the Holy Spirit in speaking of the — 
coming of the Lord Jesus in resurrection power and glory. A | 
question has been raised as to whether the Church is included 
in the reference to the firstfruits. In other words, does it 
_ refer to Christ absolutely in His personality ; or does it refer — oo. 
_ to Christ mystically—that is, to Christ and His people as aes 
Head and members of His body ? I think the latter. Be- | : 
lievers are always said to be “‘in Christ,’ and, therefore, are 
never seen apart from Him. What is true of Him is true of — 
them , hence, they are already raised in Him, as we are 
distinctly told in Ephesians ii. It is not without meaning = 
that ‘Christ the firstfruits”’ is given, and not “Christ the =~ 
firstfruit.”’ The plural, instead of the singular. The» same <9 
word is used again by the Apostle Paul in his second Epistle 
to the Thessalonians. The word is rendered “‘ from the be- 
ginning,” instead of ‘‘ a firstfruits.”* The verses should read : 


+ 


* The Greek word “ ayche”’ is generally rendered “‘ beginning.” It 
means that which is first, such as, ‘“‘In the beginning was the Word.” 
The word rendered ‘‘ firstfrutts”’ is aparche, that is, the prefix ‘‘apo’” 
is added to “‘ arche”’ ; hence it is given, ‘‘ from the beginning.” 


¥ 
ea ee 
« 


Tae ‘Earnest. ths ee 249 oS. 


ee But we are omnes to give Hanke to God alway for you, 
_ brethren beloved of the Lord, because God has chosen you > 
a firstfruits to salvation toast sanctification of the Spirit mine 
and belief of the truth: whereunto He called you. by our “eso 
- Gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord tas Christ se x 

(u. Thessalonians ii. 13, 14). 


- Eugénie de Guérin was so one with her idolized brother, : ae : 
she had become so identified with him by mutual love and. - 
common suffering, that when he died, all joy went out ofher 
life. Her lament over her brother’s coffin is most touching : cy 
- “My soul lives in a coffin. Oh, yes, buried, interred with 
i thee, my brother, just as I used to live i in thy life; I am dead Bae ts 
in thy death, dead to all happiness, all hope Deine: i . 


We may use the words of the lamenting sister, and apply 
a ~ them to our Divine Lord i in a holier, higher and happier sense, 
-and say to Him, ‘Lord Jesus, we are not only dead with 
_ Thee, risen with Thee, but we are seated with Thee in all the 
_ glory of Thine acceptance, at the right hand of God; and aes 
when Thou dost come again we shall be manifested in ‘Thine eee 
own ep cugout, and be admired in the glory Thou hast put po So 
upon us.’ Be 


_ This is no picture cance by. fevered ieeueon, Li ae 
anyone doubts our identity, let him look at the seven “with — ee : 
_ Him’s”’ in Colossians. Let us look at them in the order of 
; Christ’ S experience and ours. 


‘“ Dead* with Christ a (il. 20). 
“ Quickened together* with Him ”’ (ii. 13). 
~ Buried with Him” (ii. 12). 
“Risen with Him” (ii. 12; iii. 1). s 
_“ Life hid* with Christ i in Gad nollie She 
i “ Appear* with whe in glory ”’ (ili. 4). 


| * The preposition sun is used seven times in Colossians. It. 7 == 
<i signifies, to be united to anything, as the “old man wth his deeds ”’ 
oa being together with another, as “quickened together with Him” ; 
_ something in common to both, as Tychicus was with Onesimus in — 
a ministry (iv. 9). The seven places where the word occurs are: ii. 5, 


13, 20; iii, 3, 4,95 iv. g. | : Boe 


250 ce EMBLEMS | OF THE Hoty Spirrr, 


Five of the ‘‘ with Him’s”’ are true ve us in Christ now Ban. 
‘and the other waits, as Christ waits, till the time of His mani- - ES: 
festation. Mark the “when” and the “ then.” When he is 
manifested in glory, then we shall be manifested with Him. — 
Christ was manifested in humble garb when He came to 


wy y Sr 

“j hs ty aN OTE aaa 

4 grains SEE ee eR Bee ag whet Waa 

eh BRALeh NaN ES ae i Pitas Fn ene 
ati he ree ak rigepige te bee hee. WM im 

Sy SREY perce Cees gel eee ee 


yy 


oa 


‘suffer; but when He comes again, He will be revealed in 
Eendoar and we shall be with Him. One feature of the 4 
glorified Church is, as is said of the New Jerusalem, “the 

a 


om) 
eas 


Lamb is the Light,’ and she has “‘ the glory of God” (Rev. 
Xxi. 23,11). Then shall the saints reflect the splendour of the | 
Lord, and He will be admired in them (11. Thessalonians li. Io) ; 


RFs Biscay 


he as ‘ 
5 ean te eases 
b Veer eye eee 


_ for He is glorified in the saints, just as the saints are glorified = 
in and with Him. What a wondrous identity ! ss 
The Spirit is the Earnest that we shall be ike Christ. Yhe = 
purpose of God is, we are to be “‘ conformed to the image of 3 
His Son,” and “‘ as we have borne the image of the earthy, we vg 
shall also bear the image of the heavenly ” (Romans vill. 29 ; Bs 
1. Corinthians xv. 49). This must be so, for when we see Him a 


see 


we shall be like Him, and we shall be presented “faultless 
before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (I. John 
jii. 2: Jude. 24). . The -references in these verses do not” = 
‘directly refer to the moral likeness which believers bear to 
Christ, but to the actual glory which they shall possess when 

He returns. We cannot comprehend all that conformity 
means, but whatever Christ is we shall be, for as Bishop © 
Moule points out, the “ likeness is not by accident, but of 


2 < { 
Co oar Ro Fel RON SERN TB TR 
MP ee PE De Ot OG way ae a 


vray 4 


Pa 


Werethey f 
Se Te & 
ay Par ea 


essence. The Greek literally is, ‘Conformed ones of the ae 
image,’ &c.; as if their similitude made them part of what — Bs 
they resembled.” This thought is borne out by the meaning 
of the word ‘‘ conformed.’’ It is rendered in Philippians iti. 21, ag 
“fashioned like unto,’ where we are told our glorified bodies ee 
will be fashioned like unto His glorious body. The word = 
means jointly formed, so that there shall be such a similarity a 
that there will be no difference. i 
The Spirit is the Earnest of an eternity of bliss. "he 
a 


“Tis the Divinity stirs within us ; 
’Tis heaven itself that points out an hereafter, 
And intimates eternity.”’ 


Pri 


ya Rg eats Sat 
Sage tie he Ts a 


& 


et ie 

ae ¥2 : aa M 
Sj be Eee 
a te Set >| 


“a 


THE EARNEST. i oenl 


ore _ Yes! but there is more than a mere intimation of eternity 
- to the child of God. The adjective, “‘ eternal,” is associated _ 
with certain words which proclaim unending felicity ; and, 
-- more than this, every one of the sentences proclaims an 
ing opposite. Res 


_“ Eternal life ” speaks of an abiding union with Christ, 


death. ‘He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life ; 
but He that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life” (John 
‘iii. 36, R.v.) The bright bow of grace stands out in vivid 
contrast to the black cloud of doom. The safety of Noah in 
_ the ark is in contrast to those who perished in the flood 
outside of it. 


“ Eternal salvation” proclaims the glad and perpetual 
safety of the believer in Christ, for Christ is the ‘‘ Author of 
eternal salvation’ (Hebrews v. 9); but it also suggests the 
lost estate of those who “suffer punishment, even eternal — 
destruction from the face of the Lord ”’ (11. Thessalonians i. 9, 
R.v.) The salvation of Israel at the Red Sea stands out in 
pet: contrast to the overthrow of the Egyptians in it. 


oe “Eternal redemption’ unfolds the hallowed liberty into 
_.. which the Lord Jesus has brought His own by means of His 
oe _ death upon the cross (Hebrews ix. 12) ; but it also speaks of 
- those who will be wrapped in the bondage of “ everlasting 
fire’ (Matthew xxv. 41). The deliverance of Israel, by the | 
_. blood of the paschal lamb, stands out in contrast to the doom 
: of the firstborn of the Egyptians. 


” 


“ Eternal inheritance’’ reminds us of the estate of incor- 
_ ruptibility for which the ransomed are kept (Hebrews i 1X, 15); 

- but it also brings to our remembrance the ‘‘ eternal damna- 
tion’ from which they have escaped (Mark iii. 29). 


“ Eternal glory’? impresses us with its vista of coming 
splendour, shared with, and because of, our Beloved (it Fimens 
_. ii. 10; 1. Peter v.-r0) ; but it also points to the “ everlasting. ~ 
. i punishment ” which will be the portion of the unbeliever. 
The bliss of Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom in contrast with the 
torment of Dives i in hell. 


but it also stands out in unmistakeable contrast to eternal = 


‘o~ 


. “ Eteynal weight of glory,’ and the house which is “eternal 
in the heavens”’ (11. Corinthians iv. 17; v. I), are seen in 
contrast to the “sufferings of this present time.’ The 


Gethsemane of suffering leads to the ascension of glory. 


, 


“Eternal kingdom ’’ of Christ’s rule and glory, which the. 


08 - EMBLEMS OF THE HoLy.SprriIvr. == 


faithful shall share with Christ, stands out in contrast to the 
shifting scenes of earth and the impotency of man’s rule, for 


we receive a kingdom which cannot be moved (11. Peter 4,.11). 


- Does not the blackness of the contrast make the brightness _ 


the more vivid? It is a solemn fact that God says more 
about the doom of the wicked to His children than He does 


to the wicked themselves. ‘‘ Shall I hide from Abraham that 
thing which I do ?”’ (Genesis xviii. 17), said God to Himself 


as He thought of the doom coming upon the cities of the 


plain. He did not, He told him what He was about to do. — 


The Lord does not hide from us the wrath coming upon the 
unbeliever. Why? Because He would have us know from 


- what we have been saved. But He also desires us to know fo 
what we are saved. What it all means we cannot tell, but = 


there will be— : 


Love without passion, for we shall be ‘like Him,” 

- Service without weariness, for ‘‘ His servants shall serve Him.” 
Holiness without alloy, for ‘‘ His name shall be on our foreheads.” 
Blessing without curse, for there shall be “ no more curse.” 

Life without death, for there shall be ‘‘ no more death.” 
Joy without sorrow, for all tears will be wiped away. 
‘Light without darkness, for there shall be no night there. 
Glory without suffering, for there shall be no more pain. 
Singing without crying, for there shall be no more crying. — 
Satisfaction without want, for hunger and thirst shall cease. 
Rule without end, for we shall reign for ever. : 
Beauty without infirmity, for we shall be ‘‘ without wrinkle.” 
Living without sin, for we shall be faultless. . 
Company without absence, for we shall be for ever with the Lord. 


The Spirit is the Earnest of immortality of being. In that oh 
wonderful resurrection chapter, 1. Corinthians xv., we have 


a sevenfold description given to us, as to what the glorified 


body of the believer will be in contrast to what it is (see verses . 


42, 43, 44, 49, 50, 53)- 


sion. as© 10° displace corruption. “Tt is sown In 
a eneiption, it is raised in incorruption.” Corruption is decay. 


- the hand loses its grip, the legs their elasticity, and the mind 


its veracity ; but there shall be no fading, no dimness, no loss 


~ youth. 


Glory displaces dishonour. ‘“Sown in dishonour, it is 


Te in glory.” The body has been dishonoured by sin.» 


es 3 Its members have yielded to the servitude of iniquity. 
Passion has torn the body, anger has distorted it, lust has 
debased it, blasphemy has desecrated it, uncleanness has 
polluted it, sin has marred it, and Satan has ridden in the 


: Z have their sway. 


‘Power displaces weakness. ‘‘Sown in weakness, it 1s 
raised i in power.” Here weakness cripples our efforts, defeats 
our purpose, mars our plans, breaks our powers, hinders our 

_ progress, crushes our ideals, and paralyses our hopes ; but, 


~ shall not stop us, for we shall run continuously and not be 
Beck and walk and not faint. We shall have power to 
Vege our plans and carry out our purposes. 


Spiritual displaces natural. “It is sown a natural body, 
it israised a spiritual body.” The natural body is “ physical,” 
_ that is, soulish, and is adapted for the soul. The spiritual is 

-‘ pneumatical,”’ and is adapted to the redeemed spirit. The 


senses now suitable for this earthly state. 


g image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the 
heavenly.” What the heavenly body will be like we do not 


| > who appeared to Manoah ascending in the flame ; it will not 
_ be kept back by walls, as is patent by Christ coming into the 


Tue EARNEST. SR as Bag 


; > Here beauty fades, the sight grows dim, the limbs grow weary, i | 


of grip, and no want of agility. Then we shall have perfect 
beauty, unfailing sight, unweariness of limb, and perpetual | e 


vehicles of it; but, in the glorified state, these shall no more 


5 in the glorified state, fatigue shall not weary us, exhaustion : 


ce bodies will be identical so as to be recognizable ; but they will 
__ be different, for they will move in another sphere. We shall - 
__ have senses then adapted to the Spirit-world, just as we have 


Heavenly displaces earthly. ‘As we have borne the 


: know, but it will be independent of ge: as is seen in the angel i 


254 EMBLEMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 


| Upper Roan! the doors being locked ; and it will not be 


controlled by the law of gravitation, ior Christ ascended. 
The heavenly body will be seen, as the Son of Man was seen 
in Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace; it will be able to take food, 
as is demonstrated by the angels who came to Abraham ; it 
‘can be touched, as we may gather from Thomas touching the 


body of Christ ; and it will be identical with the earthly body, | 
for Moses and Elijah are known as such, when they appear — 


with Christ in glory. 


Immortality displaces mortality. ‘‘ This mortal shall put © 
on immortality.” ‘Death cannot reach that body; floods ~ 
cannot drown it; fire cannot burn it; the sword cannot © 


pierce it’? ; dynamite cannot touch it; and no destruction 


can overtake it. Deathless, undecaying, it 1s. Yea,’ -tirers 
glorified are in a state of holiness and bliss, from which it is — 


impossible to fall, for immortality is a changeless, unending 
state. | 


Something displaces flesh and blood. What that something : ; a 


is we cannot say, for the Bible is silent. Flesh and blood it 


will not be, for flesh is a tainted thing, and blood is a decaying me 
thing. We have a picture of the glorified state in Christ’s ae 


transfiguration, but we have no explanation. Of this we are 
sure, whatever Christ is, we shall be. ‘‘ His name shall be in 


their foreheads,’ says the Spirit, of the redeemed—which ~ 


seems to me, as one once said, that as Christ looks upon us, 
He shall see the reflection of His own glory. 


The Spirit is the Earnest of the Coming glory. 1 do not» — 
write in detail about the glory (who can ?), as I have already ~ - 


made some suggestions about it in my little book, What ts 
Heaven ?* 

There are two things which impress me in thinking of the 
coming glory of Christ and His people, and these are, first, the 
almost entire absence of the theme in present religious litera- 
ture: and, second, the frequency of the reference to it in the. 


pages of Holy Writ. In contrast to present literature, we © 


* What is Heaven? 9d. Marshall Bros., Keswick House, London. 
25 cents in U.S.A. The Gospel Publishing Company, 54, “West 
22nd Street, New York. 


aos 


Se Tue EARNEST. Pes 5S § 


find constant reference to the glory in the old writers. I 
picked up Dyer’s Christ's Famous Titles recently, when my 
attention was immediately arrested by the following: ‘‘O, 


-_ sirs, meditate upon heaven, for meditation of need will 


make us heavenly. Heaven is not only a possession promised, : 
but a possession purchased ; when our contemplations and 
consecration are in heaven, then we enjoy heaven on earth ; 
~ to be in Christ is heaven below, and to be with Him is heaven — 
above; there cannot be a better being for us, than for us to 

be with the best of beings. ‘ For to me to live is Christ, and 


to die is gain’ (Philippians i. 21). Paul was contented to 
- stay a while out of heaven, that he might bring other souls 


into heaven ; his life to them was most useful, but his death 
to them was most gainful. Let our condition be never so 
great, it is hell without Christ ; and let our condition be never _ 
so bad, it is heaven with Him ; ‘I had rather be in hell with 
_ Christ, than in heaven without Him,’ said Luther. Indeed, © 
hell itself would be heaven if God were in it, and heaven 
would be hell if God were from it. That which makes heaven 


$0 full of joy is, that it is above all fear, and that which makes 


_ hell so full of horror is, that it is below all hope. The vessels 
_ of grace shall swim in the oceans of glory ; here all the earth 


is not enough for one man, but there one heaven is enough for 


all men.”’ 


VI. WHAT IS IMPLIED BY THE EARNEST ? 


An earnest is a pledge, a part of anything given in advance 


ce as. security for the rest. “Our old English word ‘ earnest ’ 


goes back to the old Scottish word ‘arles.’ And our old — 
_ Scottish word arles goes back first to a Latin root, and then 
to a Greek root, and then to a Hebrew root. And in all these 


five languages both the words earnest and arles mean 


exactly the same thing. An earnest and an arles in all these 
five languages mean an instalment: that is to say, a small 
part of something given now in sure pledge of future full 


possession. In old days the men of business who made 


arrangements for the sale and the transfer of an estate were 


- wont to take the buyer to the property for sale, where they 


dug a spadeful of the best soil, and gave it to him: or they 


¥ 


a 


¢ 256 cay EMBLEMS OF THE Hoty Site 


plucked a head of the inet corn and gave it to him: or os Le 
gathered a handful of the best fruit and gave it to him: they _ | 


always gave him a little of something to take home that 


grew on the estate ; something of the same kind as the estate — 


that he was afterwards to possess. And that ceremony, so 
the lawyers said, gave the buyer an incontestable right and 
an indisputable title to the whole promised property.” 


The Old Testament word is rendered “ pledge ’’ in Genesis 
XxXviii. 17, 18, 20. Judah promised to send the gift of a 
kid to Tamar, but she was not satisfied with a mere promise, 
she wanted “‘ a pledge,” so he gave her his signet, bracelets and 


staff, which she afterwards produced to his shame. The re : 
Spirit as the Earnest is God’s Pledge that He will keep to al} : 


He has promised. 


An earnest is given as evidence of a contract between two 


parties. The Hebrew word “‘ pledge” in the above reference 


is derived from a root which means to braid or intermix, to — 

traffic or to barter, hence it is rendered “ morigaged’’ in 
Nehemiah v. 3. We all know what a mortgage is, it is an 
undertaking between two parties, whereby they pledge them-_ 


selves in a mutual contract, the one to lend a sum of money 


at a stipulated interest, and the other agrees to pay the same. 


There was a contract, a covenant, between God and Christ. — e 


Christ undertook to finish the work the Father gave Him to do, 


and He having glorified Him by so doing, the Father under-_ es 


took to glorify Christ by raising Him from the dead and to 
seat Him at His own right hand ; and then the Spirit was to 


be sent down to glorify Christ, and the Spirit now indwells _ 


every believer as the earnest or pledge that they shall receive _ 
the full benefits of the work of Christ. 


An earnest is part of the thing promised. As in some parts 
of the country farmers go to fairs to hire their servants, and 


upon hiring them give a few shillings as an earnest of their ae ; 
first month’s wages, so the Spirit is the Earnest of the glory | : 


to come. 

Perhaps some “ill say, “ You seem to write very con- 
fidently, and seem to be very positive that the believer will 
be ey to the end and share the glory that Christ will 


Tre EARNEST. 


pe alae ete deer fever: tid 


ne) 


live any longer therein ?”” and we add, “ If we look for such — 

22 things, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy | 

conversation or manner of living 2” Let us ever remember 

_ that while the Spirit is the Earnest of our sharing the full 

: _ benefits of the work of Christ, we are also responsible to be- 
always and entirely subject to Him. 


“We know in part: a little of the glory 
Is present with us now ; 
The earnest of the resurrection triumph ~ 
_-E’en now is in our heart ; 
But never yet was soul so fair 
That all the radiance it could bear. 


“We know in part: the Father’s full adoption 
Is ours by faith to-day; 
And Jesus’ blood for ever, and for ever, 
Has washed our sins away. 
We know in part, but what remains to know— 
Ah! this, nor mortal tongue nor pen can show. 


‘“ We know in part our Saviour’s deep compassion ; 
We know in part His grace ; 
A thousand ties our ransomed hearts acknowledge, 
Bending before His face ; 
But when we stand around the throne, 
Then shall we know as we are known. 


“We know in part : the Holy Spirit teacheth 
We are not orphans here ; 
The gracious promises of God He bringeth, 
Our drooping hearts to cheer ; 
But darkly through a glass we see 
- Till death unveils eternity. 


_ “ Trinity Divine! O Three in One! 
We lift our hearts in praise 
For all the tender light that gilds : 
The darkness of our days ; 
But, Lord, we praise Thee even more, 
That Thou dost keep the best in store.” 


bs cae manifested - ” > and the world tion say, ‘“ You can 
_ live as you. like” ; but, as an old Christian once said when . 
someone said that to him, “ How can we who are dead. to. Soca 


ahh Eo} 


aos 
sg ht 
a EB 


Lies 


2 
Ba Naw 
fs 


ai! 


Date Due 


1! 


